This is Heartache
by xHeartofBlazexX
Summary: Still searching for his redemption, Sasuke enlists the aid of Naruto & Sakura to help restore Oto into a peaceful village, but with his past forever haunting him, Sakura's life is put on the line. Not wanting to cause her anymore pain, he distances himself from her & only time will tell if he'll ever let her in."Can't you see you're breaking me down?"The Last/SakuraHiden references
1. Chapter 1

Her hands are covered in blood. The heart monitor beeps with the steady rhythm of her patients heartbeat. She'd successfully managed to remove a tumor from a shinobi she'd worked with a few months ago. Sakura smiles knowing that he'll be fine and she calls over one her of assistants to clean him up. She rinses off her hands and forearms in the nearby sink and proceeds to head back to her office.

The hospital is quiet as she walks down the hall, her ninja heels being the only noise that follows behind her as her lab coat floats gently with her movements. Grabbing the door knob, she twists it and walks into her office, failing to notice the two men already inside.

Her eyes all but bulge out of their sockets. Naruto is laying comfortably on her couch, a medical magazine in his hand, and there, leaning against her desk is Sasuke. The boisterous blonde sits up swiftly when he hears the door open and close with a _click_. His excitement all too evident on his face at her surprised expression. Sakura hadn't known that Sasuke was coming back to village today so he thought it would be a great idea to surprise her with his arrival.

"Hi, Sakura! Look who's here!" Naruto all but gushes out.

Green eyes shift to her friend in quick acknowledgment then to Sasuke. He's leaning against her desk with his arms crossed against his chest with one knee bent. His posture is relaxed she notices. He's still wearing his traveling cloak - the one from when he left a year ago - and purple bindings are wrapped around his forehead. His hair, she notices, is longer and in need of a cut. He looks robust and there is a certain calmness to his chakra as opposed to his once chaotic one. '_He looks a lot better.'_

"Hi," she says almost quietly.

"...Sakura." Her name falls so easily off his lips. It's so familiar that it constricts her heart, reminding her of just how much she has missed him.

They stand before one another, slowly drinking in each others presence. Sasuke notices that her hair has gotten longer, but not the length he remembers from their genin days. Mid length looks better on her he thinks. He sees the light bruising under her eyes; can recognize the sleepless nights she's probably had. Naruto watches them carefully, and thoroughly confused at their actions. He isn't entirely sure why she doesn't seem more excited to see their old teammate, but guesses that she is just in shock.

The medic nin walks over to Sasuke and rests her hand against his bicep. She can feel the warmth radiating off his body, can feel the way his muscle tenses up under her gentle touch, but he doesn't recoil away from her. All too suddenly she is overwhelmed with happiness that she thinks her heart might just burst out of her chest. Glassy, emerald eyes look up into onyx - he's gotten a lot taller - as she smiles up at him. "Welcome back."

"I won't be staying long," he responds.

Sakura's heart constricts and all at once her happy feelings are gone and replaced by irritation. Her hand falls limply against her side as she struggles to not let out a frustrated sigh. "Oh." She makes her way around the desk and sits on her too big chair. She rests her forearms against the table neatly folding her hands. "May I ask why?"

"There are still other villages that I must visit." He's facing her now because his family taught him to never give your back to anyone. He stuffs his hands into his pockets, his posture is so like the Sasuke that Sakura remembers in their youth that it already makes her miss him.

Naruto stands up from the couch and makes his way towards them. He claps Sasuke on the back, squeezes his shoulder, and proceeds to inform her that although their dark haired friend is leaving again, he wasn't going to let him go so soon. " Hey! Let's get some ramen to celebrate!"

"Tch. Don't you ever get tired of eating that?" Sasuke retorts.

"Nope! Sakura, are you done for the day?"

The pinkette thinks for a moment, mentally going through her calendar for that day. She had an appointment in one hour and she still needed to update her recent patient's medical chart for the employees, but after that she was free for the rest of the day.

"How about a late lunch? I still have some things to do here. I'll meet you guys at four o'clock?"

Huffing out a breath of disappointment Naruto nods. "Fine, i'll take the bastard to see everyone else!"

"I'd rather not," Sasuke says.

"Why not? Everyone will be surprised to see you!"

"Naruto, I'm sure Sasuke is tired and wants to freshen up. Plus, i'm pretty sure everyone already knows he's back." Sakura swivels her chair around to look out her window. "There's a commotion outside and I can only guess why."

"Is there a back exit?" The Uchiha asks.

"Yeah, Naruto show him where it is. I'll see you two later."

After a few more protests from her blonde teammate they finally make their way out her office, but Sasuke is mid way out her door when he stops and looks at her over his shoulder. Their gazes connect and Sakura's breath hitches, heart pounding at the familiarity she sees in his eyes. "It's good to see you," he says and walks out after Naruto.

The door closes behind him with a gentle _click_. Sakura slumps against her chair, buries her face into her palms and screams.

xx

A/N Still can't get over that our OTP is canon. I can't deal! Though this is a short chapter, I will be posting lengthier ones after this so don't worry. Please review as i'd love to hear your feedback!


	2. Chapter 2

12/18: Just came back to do some editing, nothing has changed besides adding italics. For some reason FF didn't register the way I originally posted this chapter.

* * *

It's hot in Konoha today more so than usual. The sky is a clear blue, but somehow Sakura can't enjoy it to its fullness. A light breeze sweeps her hair, cooling off her lightly sweat soaked collarbone. The people in the village are bustling around her as they haggle prices with off duty shinobi and civilian trying to keep their children in their sites.

She takes the long way to Ichiraku because although she's had three hours to absorb the fact that Sasuke has come back to the village, it isn't enough time to shake the feelings that he stirred within her - nervousness, apprehension, confusion, _betrayal_ and above all _longing_ \- and she isn't sure how she's supposed to take this like it's the most of natural occurrences.

The fact that he's been away for a year since the war ended and knowing that he would come back someday (because he said so himself didn't he) does not lesson the fact that for all the above mentioned feelings she has, Sakura is also angry. Pissed actually. She wonders why she didn't know of his return prior. Did he think that she would make a big deal out of it? Was their last meeting with one another nothing to him?

Haruno Sakura wasn't stupid and naive anymore. The day he left she had sensed a change in him, one that of course she didn't bring, but Naruto, and that's okay, but due to their long history with one another she'd like to think she was entitled to a _little _information. How many sunrises and sunsets did she spend wondering if he was okay, wondering if everyone outside their circle was accepting his gestures or throwing them back in his face; wondering if the war haunted him just as much as it did her.

Her thoughts distract her on her walk and before she even realizes it she is already in front of Ichiraku. Inside, the medic nin can feel the low hum of Sasuke's and Naruto's chakra. There was no turning back for she's sure they sensed her presence long before she noticed theirs. Her hand parts the curtains to the establishment and she makes her way inside. Their backs are to her as she takes a deep breath to calm her nerves and makes her way over to them. She's glad that there isn't a seat in between them because she isn't sure if she can be near the ex-avenger so soon and so Sakura takes a seat beside Naruto.

"Hey, you made it!"

Sakura nudges her friend with her shoulder, "I said I would." Turning to Teuchi she orders a spicy ramen, waving to Ayame who's down the bar table. She then rests her elbow on the table, her right cheek on one palm as she listens to the rest of the boys' conversation. Kinda.

They talk about mundane things at first like how Naruto wants to try ramen from the Land of Waves ("your ramen will always be the best, Teuchi") to the time they went to Kiri and how the Mizukage kept flirting with him ("she's super weird!") and this catches her attention slightly when she notices the face her dark haired companion makes at the mention of the long haired woman. It's twenty minutes into Naruto's rambling when he finally asks Sasuke about his journey and Sakura's ears perk up, back straightening as she listens closely.

"I went to Sound first," he starts and the pinkette notices the almost _disturbed_ look on his face as he tries to recall everything. "After killing Orochimaru -" A _snap_ is heard and Sakura notices that Naruto snapped his chopsticks at the mention of the snakes name. His knuckles almost white at the force he's holding back, but Sasuke continues without reflecting on the past. "The village was taken over by petty shinobi. The civilians were living like animals. When I arrived everyone was wary of me knowing my ties to him. The so called village leader, however, sought out my help in getting rid of the thieves which I gladly did, but the village needs more help in rebuilding itself."

"How long did you stay there for?" Naruto asks.

"Three months," Sasuke replies.

"Is there anything that Kakashi can do for them?"

Onyx eyes meet with crystal blue. "Establish order and appoint a new village leader. Someone that can protect them from anymore invaders."

"We can talk to sensei about it. I'm sure he would like to know about what's going on outside of Konoha. We'll help, too! Won't we, Sakura?"

Did her friend honestly think that she would want to step into that dreadful village? Even with Orochimaru and Kabuto annihilated Sakura still remembers all too clearly the pain it caused her and her home, but instead of expressing this she just vaguely nods her head because the look in his eyes is so hopeful that she couldn't bare to disappoint him. _'You forgive too easily.'_

The three of them continue on with their meal, thoughts of slithering snakes and hissing noises vibrating through Sakura's mind and she has to try her hardest not to flinch away when goosebumps run along her arm. She is on autopilot for the next half hour, nodding and shaking her head when it was necessary. Sasuke, ever the observant type, watches his female companion closely. Not once since their sit down did she make eye contact with him and he most definitely noticed the defensive guard she put up at the mention of Sound. He guesses that she is wary of the village (and how can she not) since it was the snake sannin who took him away from her. Them.

He briefly thinks that he would do things a little differently if he had the chance to go back in time. No, he doesn't regret the choices he made, but he would go about them differently. Especially when it came down to Team Seven. Suddenly, his loud mouthed friend is rising up off his seat, knocking the bar stool over screaming something about missing a date with Hinata.

"Ah! I almost forgot that I was supposed to meet with her!" Royal blue dart between his teammates, "I'll go tell her that I'll see her tomorrow and then we-"

"Go, loser. I'll see you … tomorrow." Sasuke says.

A wide grin spreads across the jinchūriki's face. "Okay! I'll see you two tomorrow! Bye!"

Sakura smiles gently at him and waves her goodbye to her friend, but then she is suddenly aware that she is alone with Sasuke and her nerves are ablaze. There's a pregnant pause for a few moments neither of them saying anything to one another. The medic nin sweeps a glance over to her current enigma from the corner of her eye. His bowl is finished and he's placed enough money on the table for the three of them.

Finally, he breaks the silence between them. "You don't have to go to Sound, Sakura."

She doesn't bother finishing the rest of her broth. It had gotten cold anyways due to her lack of appetite at the start of his story. "Why do you say that?" She asks.

Sasuke tilts his head in her direction - just like that night - "You clearly aren't fond of them."

"Can you blame me?"

"No, but I don't want you going there if you aren't willing to help them."

The dark haired ninja gets up from his stool and proceeds to make his way out of Ichiraku. He's just walked a few steps from the ramen stand when he feels Sakura's hand on his arm almost forcefully getting him to turn around. She looks angry. Her eyes are narrowed slits as she glares at him and it's a look so foreign to him that he doesn't know whether or not he should be irritated at her public display of attitude towards him.

"They _attacked_ us, Sasuke or don't you remember?"

"Yes, I do. But you're being childish."

His comment is like a slap to the face. "Excuse me?"

"You don't want to help them because of _me_. My decision to go to Sound was my own. The _civilians_ who preside in the village had nothing to do with the invasion. The shinobi who participated in that failed attempt are long gone so there is no reason for them to suffer over the actions of two dead men."

His reasoning is accurate she thinks, but she is a woman scorned by so many incidents which has lead her to be wary of anything pertaining to the past. But what about Suna? Hadn't they planned on attacking Konoha as well? By using Gaara as a weapon and yet she can confidently call him a friend. She was even friends with Temari and Kankuro.

Dark eyes observe the girl in front of him. He could see the thoughts all but running rampant in her mind. Her head bows slightly when she makes what he said sense, heaving a sigh of defeat at his reasoning. He didn't mean to be harsh with her but Sasuke had very little time to be gentle about anything when it came down to making the world a better place. He doesn't consider himself a savior. That would be ridiculous, but if he was going to redeem himself for all his wrong doings, and actually ask for assistance (when necessary) he had to have people willing to genuinely help. This of course doesn't mean that he doesn't understand the way she feels. He isn't blind. Sasuke knows what he put her through.

"Did you … did you ever think of Konoha?" He hears her ask.

He wasn't going to lie to her. "In the beginning I did, but after a while I forgot what it looked like." Truth was that he was too tired most nights to even think. The snake sannin had beaten and trained him till almost his last breath which sometimes resulted in him losing consciousness at times. He wouldn't tell her this, of course.

"I see." Her eyes raise to meet with his. "We'll talk about helping them out with Kakashi tomorrow. Goodnight, Sasuke."

Sakura turns to leave and it's the first time Sasuke has ever watched her walk away from him. His eyebrows furrow together. It's strange he thinks, to see her like this in the village, grown up. Onyx eyes roam her retreating figure and he can appreciate her growth. It isn't sexual, but more so along the lines of her accepting things for what they are and not what they were. Turning on his heel, he makes his way to the other side of the village to his apartment where he spends the rest of the night trying to get rid of the memory of her tear stained face all those years ago.

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A/N: I want to sincerely thank everyone who reviewed my first "chapter" if you can even consider that one since it was soo short, but nevertheless thank you all! It makes me happy that some of you already like my story enough favorite/follow it which motivated me to get this up for you guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and hope this was a well sized chapter for you. Please be sure to leave a review and tell me your thoughts!


	3. Chapter 3

"Ah, Sasuke good to see you're in one piece." Kakashi says.

Currently, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were standing before their old sensei - turned Hokage - in his office. It was strange for them to think that at one point there was an old, white haired, tobacco smoking geezer, a busty, gambling addicted alcoholic woman and now a lazy, un-punctual, porn reading ex sensei sitting in _the_ seat; wearing _the_ hat running an _entire_ village. They certainly had an interesting selection of Hokage over the years. It was as if the world was expressing that although they were ninja, they were _humans_ first. Luckily, the war hadn't destroyed their personalities completely.

For Sakura it was weird seeing her adolescent mentor sitting in the seat of her shishou. The Copy Ninja before her was there to outline her life as a child. Though he did not pay too much particular attention to her when she was young, she did learn many valuable lessons that would help her in the future. Tsunade, on the other hand, had molded her into the woman she was today. The blonde woman had taken her under her wing and showed her everything she knew and was even able to surpass her. She had been like a mother to the pinkette. Had given her the tough love that she needed in order to become the fierce warrior she was presently and for that, Sakura considered herself extremely lucky to be the predecessor of two powerful people.

Sasuke raises a sharp eyebrow, "I said I would stay out of trouble."

"Right right." Kakashi crosses his arms across his chest leaning back against the chair. "What brings the three of you here?"

"During my travels, I went to Sound and they are in need of assistance."

"Oh? What kind?"

"They need a new village leader. Someone authoritative to ensure their safety."

The Hokage sits upright in this chair placing his elbows on the desk, crossing his hands together by his chin contemplating, "I suppose after Orochimaru they would be lost."

"Hn."

"Would it be too soon to send the three of you out together for this?"

"What does that even mean, sensei?" Naruto asks.

Kakashi holds up his hands with caution. "Nothing at all." He then shrugs his shoulders. "Just because the three of you fought in a war together doesn't mean you don't lack teamwork."

The blonde angrily stomps over to the Hokage's desk slamming his palms against it, "we're still Team Seven no matter how many years have gone by!"

"Now now," a pale hand waves dismissively in Naruto's face, "there's no need for you to get worked up over anything."

Sakura grabs the back of her teammates collar pulling him back and proceeds to smack him upside the head. The loud mouthed ninja rubs the back of his head soothingly saying something about her abusive tendencies, but she quickly retorts back with pointing out how he was being disrespectful to the _hokage_. Sasuke watches the three of them and a feeling of nostalgia washes over him. He's suddenly thirteen years old again, troubled preteen eyes watching his teammates acting ridiculous when they should be focused on training and developing their skills. He sees a teacher completely bored out of his mind as he watches the two most animated members of their group hash out another quarrel over the Uzumaki's tendencies and somewhere in his subconsciousness, he sees himself scoffing at their playful banter half wishing that he could remain with them and another part of him torn with his demons.

Now, at twenty years old he watches them with totally different eyes. His team mates have matured and gotten much stronger from their youth. They were proud shinobi of the Leaf Village who had dutifully embraced the Will of Fire which was everyone's nindo, and yet here he was - a rouge ninja of his village who had abandoned that same nindo due to impatience and a clouded mind - and despite all that he has been through in the past seven years of his life, he thinks that perhaps he could have saved himself a lot of grief had he embraced the ways of the village and though he was standing there in the presence of the old Team Seven, blessedly accepted back into their lives, he still considered himself a total stranger to them.

Onyx eyes shift over to his old sensei, their eyes meeting, and with that brief exchange of glances, Sasuke can see all the promise that his old mentor has for them. He still had faith in him despite of the fact that he had failed him as a pupil and the ex avenger doesn't know how exactly he should take this faith from Kakashi. It feels like a burden. A weight that he doesn't think he'll be able to carry because he'd helped cause a war for Gods sakes! Briefly, Itachi's face comes to mind and the words that they had exchanged before he'd burst into dust rings through his thoughts. His older brother would want this for him. He can accept that now, but it doesn't mean that it would be easy for him to respect his brothers wishes, but he damn will try.

Not everyone gets a second chance.

Kakashi breaks up Sakura and Naruto's bickering by clearing his throat. "The three of you will head to Sound and restore order to the village. I will give you three days to do this and I want a daily report on what you see while you're all there. Should they need further guidance, I will send others once your mission there has been completed. Understood?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

"Good. The three of you will leave tomorrow morning. Dismissed."

Naruto claps Sasuke on the back. "Team Sevens first mission! This is going to be good!" He exclaims.

Dark eyes shift to the left to give the blonde a mild glare, "It's not an official mission."

"Perhaps not," Kakashi interrupts. "But with time i'm sure I can reinstate you for good behavior." He finishes with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

"We'll have to get that headband of yours fixed, bastard!"

Sasuke's shoulders tense at the reminder of his deflection recalling the way he even received that slash across the leaf insignia. Sakura watches them carefully, noticing the way the dark haired ninja seems to be uncomfortable at the mention of his status. "It probably doesn't even fit him anymore, Naruto. He'll have to get a new one." She says.

"Ah, I guess you're right, Sakura. He does have a big head for always being so cocky."

"Tch." Sasuke shrugs off Naruto's hand a little too forcefully. "You're one to talk."

"I can kick your ass any day bast-"

"Didn't I dismiss the three of you?" Kakashi quips.

Taking the hint, Sakura moves to stand before the boys shooing them out the office like children. "You heard the Hokage. Get out."

Dark eyes watch his old pupils leave his office, the scar of his left eye tingling a little. Seeing them with both eyes was a miracle and one that he would forever be grateful for. He couldn't be happier at having them all together again. Opening up the draw to his right he pulls out a copy of one of his favorite books, his chest filling with pride.

"The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, Chapter One."

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A/N: Hello my friends! Happy New Year! I want to apologize for the long wait on this chapter. I got a puppy for Christmas and she's a lot of work. It's like having a freaking baby, yo! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know it's not much, but I wanted to bring something out before you guys lose interest in this story or think i've forgotten about it (which will NOT happen!) This chapter is very Sasuke-centric and I did this because although this story is SasuSaku, I also want to incorporate Sasuke's growth throughout this story because i'm a _realist_ and they can't just kiss and makeup without him getting his shit together first.

P.S There is a rumor going around that The Last is coming to the US?! Say WHAT! Supposedly, it'll be out in theaters February 20th (English subbed of course) in select cities only. If you live in NYC, do not worry cause we'll have it! Yippie! Tickets supposedly start going on sale at the middle of this month so if this rumor is true, be sure to keep a look out for them. With that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will try my best to upload again before this month is over. I'd love to hear your thoughts so please be sure to leave a review. Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

The sun is just barely peeking through the Hokage mountain when Sakura arrives at the village gates. The bright flames from the watchtowers casts shadows on the walls that move almost hauntingly. As she makes her way closer to the gates she can see Sasuke and surprisingly Naruto already there. Their dark figures are easy to make out in the early morning rays. She thinks that although years have passed by and she can even go on to live hundreds of other lives she will never forget the way they look.

When she stands before them she sees her shadow mix in with theirs and almost tauntingly hers is far away from theirs. Naruto is half slumped on a nearby bench while Sasuke stands against the wall mirroring the way she'd first seen him in her office a few days prior. Sakura taps her friend to wake up and again he surprises her by actually waking up easily.

"Good morning, Naruto." She says gently.

"Mornin'," Yawn. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised you're here early."

"I stood at Hinata's house." At this, Sakura can't help but raise a delicate eyebrow at her friend which in turn gets him to blush. "We didn't do anything!"

"Right…" A smirk is on the pinkettes lips.

Eager to change the subject, Naruto all but shoots up on his feet and makes his way towards the village entrance the tips of his ears blazing red muttering things about getting the day started. Sasuke shifts to follow him, silent as ever. "Good morning, Sasuke."

"Sakura."

The gates to Konoha open up slowly and silently as the three of them stand along the entrance border. The three of them stand near one another and its all too surreal for Naruto. They're finally all leaving out the village together after so many years apart. His excitement is all too evident in the way he's shifting his weight from one foot to the other. When the gates fully open up the three of them simultaneously take off together running at full speed.

* * *

The journey to Sound is held in silence. They travel without barely saying a word to one another and this bothers Naruto beyond belief. He would have thought that the three of them would be a little livelier with each other, but apparently things don't exactly go back to normal so quickly. Sasuke spoke to him from time to time but the relationship between the dark haired ninja and the rosette was much more strained and he was determined to get them to talk.

Sasuke leads the three of them to Sound with Naruto directly behind him and Sakura at the end. She watches as her "team mates" interact and in a way she can't really be upset with the fact that she's barely spoken to Sasuke. What could she possibly say to him? How does she even begin to interact with him after all these years? It would be a lie if she said that her heart didn't ache just a little from not being able to converse with him, even a little, but then she thinks about how he's leaving again and really what's the point in getting to know him when he was just going to leave again?

The steady _clack_ of ninja boots resonate through the dense forest as they leap through the branches and they're just about half way to Sound when Sasuke suggests they take a break. The sun is beginning to set, the wind is getting chillier by the hour and the stars are just barely visible in the sky.

Old habits die hard as Sasuke makes the fire while Naruto fetches the water and Sakura installs the traps around their campsite. When the kunoichi returns, the fire is crackling and Naruto is cooking up some ramen. She smiles a little when she notices the brooding ninja give her friend an almost irritated look at the way Naruto all but scarfs down his meal once he deems it ready, but its only the slurping sounds of her team mate that fills in the awkward silence between the three of them.

There is a sound of flapping wings as a nearby owl takes flight as green eyes trail its movement as it ascends up and out of the forest. After several moments, Sasuke stands and declares that he would volunteer to take the first watch. He makes his way out their campsite leaving Sakura and Naruto alone. Emerald and azure eyes connect and the pinkette can see the almost questioning look in her friends eyes. The fire casts shadows under his eyes making him look tired and worn but she can read all too clearly that he wants her to take action as his eyes move from her form quickly over to where their team mate disappeared to.

_I can't._

Sighing, Naruto gets up and walks after Sasuke leaving her alone.

* * *

The moment the three of them arrive to Sound, Sakura is immediately concerned. Her concern has nothing to do with her feeling uneasy about being in the village, but more so on the state she sees it in. Sasuke has been extremely vague on how Sound was. The make shift houses are poorly made and many of the villagers look almost gray. They look sad and almost helpless, her anger flares at the thought of bandits harassing these people.

Naruto and Sakura walk inside the village almost shyly. Never in a million years did they think that they'd be here but their eyes are ever calculating. Sasuke stands back surveying the state of the village from the last time he was there. It seems as though things have gotten far worse and he isn't sure what they could do for these people anymore. He notices his companions moving further into the village and follows.

_'How long have they been this way?'_ Naruto thinks to himself as his eyes roam his surroundings. His eyes take in the way there are holes in every single roof, broken glass litters the walkway, discarded pieces of shredded clothing and worn out shoes are scattered every which way and he tries to ignore the almost permanent smell of rotting, burnt flesh that permeates the air. He tentatively walks inside a hut and his heart contricts at what he sees.

Nothing. The people practically had nothing.

This particular hut is so destroyed on the inside that it looks like its one powerful gust of wind away from collapsing, and yet there in the corner, is a neatly folded thin blanket. It's grey and dirty and it smells like urine, but its there waiting for its owner to come back and make use of it.

He walks inside another hut and there are dirty, plastic cups scattered on the dirt floor. Another house contains the remnants of a torn up stuffed animal. The last house makes his hands curl into fists and his eyes almost bleed red when he sees blood splattered on the floor.

Further away from Naruto, the medic nin is crowarched on the floor balancing on the balls of her feet as she inspects a broken flask. Sasuke stands a few paces away from her standing watch but it isn't until he hears the _zip_ of her pouch that he turns his attention towards her. He watches her put on gloves and picks up the flasks and he sees the way her shoulders tense upon further inspection.

Curious, he walks over to her mirroring her position and stares at the item in her hands. His brows furrow together with concern when he recognizes what exactly she's holding. Green eyes shift to her right to regard her companion. "Someone has drank whatever contents were inside this."

"How do you know?" He asks.

"If you look at it closely, you can see fingerprints and around its circumference there are remnants of a lip imprint which are totally different from fingerprints." Sakura sees the way Sasuke's jaw is all but clenched together and she knows from their younger days that he only did this when he was particularly bothered by something. "Do you know what this is?"

Onyx eyes never stray from the flask in the pinkettes hands. "These particular containers usually carry liquids that Orochimaru would use to inject into his experiments."

Pink eyebrows fly up in shock. "What?! You mean to tell me that there are biohazardous contents lying around this village for just about anyone to pick up?!" Her voice is filled with an accusatory tone that he doesn't like.

"These weren't lying around the last time I was here." He defends.

Sakura abruptly stands up and Sasuke does that same. He watches as she flings the flask some ways away from them, the shattering of broken glass is almost too loud for them to hear in the densely populated village. Onyx eyes see the concern written on her face and on the inside he knows that if her conclusion is true then the people of Sound would need a lot more help than he realized.

There is a shuffling behind them and they turn to see Naruto walking towards them. His facial expression mirrors that of Sakura's, but his eyes are filled with a fiery determination that he is familiar with.

"We have to help these people guys…" He says almost quietly.

The medic nin walks towards her blonde friend and puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We will," she says while she makes her way past them and walks towards the heart of the village taking the lead.

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**A/N**: I have to say that i'm extremely disappointed in the lack of reviews that i received from Chapter 3. I'm grateful to those who have favored and followed this story, but I would greatly appreciate reviews as well. I want to hear your thoughts and opinions. I write this fic for you guys and want to make sure that you are all enjoying this so far. I want to thank **C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only** for being a constant reviewer. I greatly appreciate it!

On another note, I will be watching The Last next month! I can't tell you how excited I am! I bought my tickets to see the movie last month and I couldn't believe how many showings were SOLD OUT! There seems to be A LOT of Naruto fans here in NYC, but I was lucky enough to purchase my tickets. Are any of you guys watching the movie and or watched it yet? If any of you guys are interested in watching the movie, I will link the page from the **Eleven Arts** website that has a complete listing of all the cities that the movie will be available in theaters and from there you can purchase your tickets as well. Don't worry, it's completely legit.

Please do leave a review!


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing that is noticeable at the center of the Sound village is burning wood. Some of the wood that was scattered around the area is a deep brown color signifying that it is too wet to burn. The fire at the heart of the village is not great in size, but it burns strongly. Upon closer look there is fabric integrated with some of the pieces probably to ensure that it stays burning. Sakura makes her way towards the burning flame noticing that there are a few people sleeping a few feet away from the source. She assumes that these civilians are trying to stay warm.

"What is a kunoichi doing here?"

Sakura turns to the voice and her heart drops at the site. A young woman stands before her, but her face depicts years of suffrage and her body is thin, almost on the verge of malnutrition. Her brown eyes are full and lifeless, her hair is a tangled mess and the clothes that she wears are clearly worn and too thin to keep her warm during the chilly nights.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. I'm from the Leaf Village. My team and I are here to help you."

The woman's eyebrow raises with disbelief. "No village ever bothered with us."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asks.

"This village is filled with people who have lost their homes due to the war. Some are refugees."

Sakura's heart dropped. These people were left homeless because of the war? How come none of the villages bothered to find people like these earlier? For a moment, she is angry because finding survivors such as these should have been top priority. No wonder why Sasuke was so protective of these people.

"I'm sorry that no one has come to you sooner. My team and I will do everything possible to make this village a more appropriate place to live."

"How many of you are there?" The woman asks.

"Three, including myself." At that moment Naruto and Sasuke flank her and the medic nin notices the sneer on the woman's face when she sees Sasuke.

A dirty finger points in his direction. "We told you to not come back here."

Green and blue eyes shift between them and Sakura is surprised when the ex-avenger says that he wasn't going to leave until the village was in better condition.

"Just because you helped build a few houses and scared away a few assholes doesn't mean we like you, Uchiha."

"He's only trying to help," Naruto defends.

The woman scoffs. "I don't care. He's the reason for all this."

Sakura sees the tight clenching of Sasuke's jaw and feels as though he's trying to reign in his anger. Even though he wasn't crazed with anger anymore, her dark haired companion never took to people telling him off lightly. This compels her to act in his defense.

The medic-nin raises a hand to halt the woman's verbal bashing. "Look, his past doesn't matter right now. What matters is that we are here to help make things right." Her voice is authoritative and strong. "Is there anyone here in charge?"

The girl sighs and her shoulders slump. "The old woman that lives in the house with a curtain as a door is usually the place everyone goes to seek help."

Sakura thanks the woman and the three of them make their way to their destination. When they arrive to the old woman's house they are surprised when a stray cat blocks their way inside. It's dark green eyes stare at them dangerously, daring them to take a step further. Naruto notices that the cat as a clipped tail, too abnormal looking to be natural and its right ear has a hole in it. When he tries to hold out a hand in a friendly gesture, the feline hisses angrily. His optimism of making a new friend dies out; he was too traumatized from his genin days of chasing that damn cat with the red bow.

The blonde ninja glares at the cat, but it's Sasuke who steps forward and looks it in the eyes and almost immediately the cat lazily gets up and out the way choosing to go inside. "Hey, how'd you do that?" Naruto asks.

The dark haired shinobi doesn't answer and Sakura has a brief memory of the two of them running inside of a cat mansion to acquire the cat bosses' paw print. She remembers the way the cats took a liking to him, even after the kitty ears came off. Naruto didn't know that the Uchiha had a contract with ninja cats, just like Kakashi had his hounds.

When inside the decryptic home, an old woman leans over the body of a young man. Upon close inspection, you can see that he is restrained as he twitches sporadically. The woman looks up at their entrance, signifying them to step forward.

"You two," she points to Naruto and Sasuke. "Please hold him down steady for me."

Doing as they're told, the two men proceed to keep the patient in place. Naruto holds his legs as Sasuke holds his shoulders. The pinkette watches from the doorway, carefully assessing the situation. She watches as the old woman places a wet towel across the man's forehead, followed by dabbing a mud like substance across his chest.

Everything seems to be alright until the mans eyes snap open with a shout, his hands breaking free from the makeshift restraints. Faster than the blink of an eye, Sakura is at the old womans side, prying the crazed mans fingers off of her. She yelps when he releases his grip on her and she immediately moves out the way.

Light green chakra emanates from Sakura's gloves as she pours it into the patient's brain. After a few seconds he goes limp, his eyes shutting like blinds. He's still, except for the soft rise and fall of his chest which is badly injured.

"What did you do?" Naruto asks nervously.

"I sedated him." Sakura replies. Turning to the old woman, green eyes inspect the jagged fingernails on her forearm. "Are you alright?"

"Aside from my jittery nerves," she looks to her arm, "I'm fine."

"Please let me heal you. I'm a medical ninja."

The old woman nods her head in consent and kneels next to the kunoichi extending her arms out once again, green healing chakra comes forth and in just a few short breaths the wrinkled skin is healed.

"Amazing. Thank you."

The pinkette gives her a warm smile. "You're welcome."

Her attention then shifts to the still form before her. Viridian eyes scan the mans form. He has blunt scratches on his pectorals, clearly showing self harm. Bruises, both fresh and old, peppers his arms and legs, along with scrapes. There are open scabs on the inside of his forearms as well. Sakura gently picks up the mans arm for a closer inspection and she notices that the scabs look like tiny openings which opened in size. Her trained medical eyes can clearly see irritation around the wounds and her knowledge tells her that this is a side effect of foreign bacteria. The irritation is most prominant towards the center of the arm where veins are most gathered. This discovery alarms her because not only were people possibly drinking chemicals, but they were also injecting themselves.

Charcoal and azure eyes take in the state of the man before them, no longer needing to hold him down. "What happened to this guy?" Naruto asks.

"His name is Riku. I haven't seen him in days until just yesterday evening when two other villagers brought him to me crazed out of his mind." The old woman pats Riku's sweaty hair. "He's a good man," she continues. "I don't know what could have made him this way. Luckily, I had two other people help me, but after Riku tired himself out, they left and haven't come back since."

"I don't blame them. That look in his eyes was pretty scary."

Naruto notices his female teammates concerned look. "Do you have an idea of what might have caused this, Sakura?"

The medic-nin doesn't take her eyes off Riku. Her thumb and pointer finger opens his left eye and upon observation she notices the strain of his eyeball, the pupil is heavily dilated. His almost pitch black eyes shifts from left to right from time to time every five seconds.

"He's on some sort of drug." Sakura hovers a chakra concentrated hand from the top of his head to his abdomen. "From what I can sense his exposure is moderate, but whatever he look had to of been very potent to inflict this sort of reaction - I'm sorry what is your name?"

"Kaede." The old woman replies.

"-Kaede explained," Sakura continues. "Along with the episode we just witnessed."

"Is there anything you can do for him?" Kaede asks.

"I'll try my best, but considering the circumstances it'll be hard to come up with a detox without the proper supplies. How did you get him to stay placete?"

"I made an oil that my mother taught me when I was younger from the herbs I was able to find just a mile away from the village."

"I know the way to the pasture," Sasuke says.

"Great. I'll go there and see what I can use to make an antidote, but first I need to find the source of the problem so that I can study it more properly to come up with the most effective medicine."

"I'm not sure where he could've possibly contracted this."

Sakura stands, Naruto and Sasuke following her movements. "We'll find out."

"Thank you."

The three ninja make their way out of Kaede's home in search for the source of their dilemma. They walk for about five minutes and as the seconds tick by the pit in Sasuke's stomach deepens. The further into the village they walk, more and more flasks appear along the dirt road. The pattern begins to take a familiar turn when he realizes just exactly where they were heading. If Sakura was concerned, especially after their findings, he felt an ethical duty to show her the possible source of their discoveries.

"We need to go this way," he instructs.

"Why?" Sakura asks.

The dark haired shinobi braces himself for her reaction. "One of Orochimaru's hideouts is nearby."

He sees the way Sakura's eyes widen and her head whips in the direction he was addressing. He could practically feel Naruto's anger, his aura chaotic and laced with nervousness. Sasuke walks towards the west end of the village, thoughts of what they could possibly face making him feel a certain type of way he wasn't fond of.

It's a ten minute walk to their destination. When the Uchiha stops before a relatively normal looking cave entrance, Naruto is perplexed as to why they aren't going inside. His thoughts, however are answered when Sakura openly states that there is a genjutsu placed at the entrance.

The kunoichi always had an aptitude for genjutsu, even a genin, and throughout the years she was able to further hone her skills with the help of Kuernai sensei. She definitely wasn't an expert, she was intermediate at best, but she could still detect them better than the average kunoichi and knew a few jutsu. Her expertise was in medicine after-all.

"Sasuke, could you dispel it?" She asks.

Without answering, onyx eyes bleed away replaced by mismatched eyes. His Rinnegan and Sharingan come alive and Sakura has to clench her muscles at the powerful burst of energy coming from him. She still wasn't used to his new abilities.

Not a heartbeat later, the air shifts around them as Sasuke dispels the genjutsu. Sakura takes a deep breath and the three of them make their way inside the hideout with Sasuke leading the way.

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I want to thank everyone who left a review last chapter, I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I really do appreciate every single one.

Just to clarify the scene of the cat mansion, I will be incorporating some moments that SasuSaku had from the anime. I think it would be nice to show those moments also as I think Kishi gave us those for a reason and the manga was very vague at times. The filler episodes such as this one that is mentioned is too fun and cute not to talk about!

To **LilyoftheValley**, i'm not entirely sure what you mean by "very little goes on in the chapters." My chapters aren't meant to be an episode. This is a _story._ If by what you mean is that there isn't a lot of interaction between Sasuke and Sakura then you may not like this fic very much. Their development is going to be slow as i'm a _realist_ and don't think that their relationship is going to be repaired in just a few short chapters. I'm sorry that you feel that there is too much of a time lapse in updates, I do have other things going on and I update when I can. Hopefully this chapter has made you a little happier.

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning: Gore **

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_Drip, drip, drip_

_Clack, clack clack, clack clack, clack_

_Woooosh_

Orochimaru's hideout is quiet except for the water droplets falling from the ceiling, the steps of Team Seven's boots and the faint whisper of the draft that seeps through the cracks. Sasuke's eyes are bright and ever cautious as he leads Sakura and Naruto through the cave. It's also dark, but Sakura cracked a light baton providing herself and Naruto a soft green glow of light to allow them to better see.

As the three shinobi walk further into the cave, the temperature drops. Goosebumps form along the pinkettes arms and Naruto shivers just behind her. Although it has been years since Sasuke has been here, he is used to the cold air that permeated the cave. His endurance to temperature changes was very disciplined thanks to his travels to different places. He isn't pleased with the fact that he could still remember the layout of these hideouts - even if they were all somewhat similar - in truth, he'd like to forget he ever stepped foot into the snake sannin's temporary dwellings. The things that happened inside these walls never sat well with him.

Sasuke turns right at the end of corridor and they walk just a few steps until they find their first body. He stops in his tracks, his eyebrows furrowed together in disapproval. Sakura peers over his shoulder gasping as she runs to the body. Kneeling on the cold, damp, and stony floor she assess the body, it's a woman, and from the looks of it she shows the same bodily harm as Riku. Green eyes scan the woman's body, it's grey and her bones are protruding through the thinned flesh. Her cheeks are sunken in and her ears are ripped, most likely due to the rodents eating at them. Her fingernails are extremely chipped with blood drying just underneath them.

Pink eyebrows draw together in confusion as she picks up the woman's hand for a closer inspection. Flipping her palm face up, her nails show no decay as of yet, but the blood underneath was too great to compare to the scratches along her neck and arms. Putting her hand down, Sakura stands, moving her light away from herself and closer to the cave walls.

_'There!'_

Along the walls is the solution to her question. The cavern walls are deeply scratched, multiple markings are on the surface which only become more and more prominent towards the entrance of the cave yet they all stay within the vicinity of the body, never advancing further and nowhere near the exit. Sakura shines the light towards the floor and the same markings can be found there, too. It was as if this woman was trying to claw her way out the cave.

"Sakura? Is she…" Naruto whispers.

The medic nin shakes her head. "She's dead. She's been dead for at least two weeks or so. What I don't understand is how she could've gotten in here."

"The genjutsu surrounding the hideout is weak due to low maintenance. Without the proper chakra, the genjutsu placed will cause insanity, with the walk to the exit becoming never ending." Sasuke informs.

"How horrible …"

"Hn. Let's go."

The three of them continue to walk and the sightings inside the hideout only become more gruesome. They walk down another corridor and another, and it comes to the point where Sakura doesn't even know where she is anymore. The cave is a maze, every single walkway is the same and she wonders how in the world Sasuke could even remember how to navigate through this place. _'Did he spend a significant amount of time here?'_

As they walk down yet another corridor, there is a foul smell permeating the air. When they reach the middle of the walkway, they find a cell big enough to fit about five people. The walls inside the cell are splattered with blood and chewed up bones litter the floor, there are also discarded articles of clothing, probably belonging to the half skeleton that sits on the far corner.

An unpleasant image resurfaces against Sasuke's will. He remembers the prisoners that were always locked up in this cell, scared and hungry. It was only a month in from when he arrived to Sound that he'd witnessed Orochimaru's experiment go bad. He and the sannin had just finished training and Orochimaru decided it was the perfect time to go check in on a _"project"_ he was working on. The young Uchiha had no choice but to accompany him as he had yet to know his way around. He remembers wishing that he'd learned the layout sooner because what he saw happen in that cell made him instantly vomit, making him lose his appetite for the next two days.

There'd been three people in this cell at the time, one of which had been the guinea pig to a new drug that Kabuto had developed. No more than five minutes standing there observing the prisoners passed by when suddenly the experimental subject went berserk, clutching at his hair, yelling and groaning in pain and in an instant it was over with the subject expanding in size and exploding, his blood forever staining the walls of the cell. Orochimaru had tsked with annoyance at the results with Sasuke throwing up his insides just behind him.

_"Ku ku ku, you had better get used to the site, Sasuke. You'll be seeing things like this for a long time."_

Sasuke remembers wiping the saliva off his chin with the back of his hand as he glared at the mad man. The next day he walked up and down the hideout with his Sharingan activated to remember the layout and from that day forward he never forgot his way around. He made sure to never spend too much time in the hideout, going out as much as possible so that he wouldn't have to see anything like that again.

The ex avenger balls up his fists at the unpleasant memory, and he proceeds forward. The air surrounding the three shinobi is tense. Blue eyes zero in on his best friend wondering how he could be taking all this. He would've never guessed that he had to live through these kinds of circumstances throughout their childhood. If only he had been stronger at the time, he could've saved him from all this and made due with his promise to Sakura. Naruto sighs, his shortcomings may haunt him, but he couldn't be more happier that Sasuke was back and that this whole past was behind them. Sort of.

Finally, after what seems like forever, Sasuke stops before a steel door. He pushes it open with the door groaning loudly from its rusty hinges. "This is the laboratory."

Inside, the room is much colder than the cave itself. There is a steel table at the center with a cart of medical tools right next to it. The walls are lined with see-through cupboards, many of which have been left opened and they're all pretty much empty except for a few boxes. The countertops are messy, syringes are scattered all along the floor and Sakura has to watch her step if she doesn't want to get pricked by one. She walks towards one of the opened closet casing and finds a semi empty beaker. The medic nin takes it and puts the purple liquid in a petri dish that is laying around, taking it to the desk on the far left corner of the room. Sakura places it under the microscope, adjusting the magnitude of the lens to one hundred to study the substance.

She finds that the liquid is a mixture of chemicals and plants, mostly phencyclidine and something else she can't identify. Either way, this explains why Riku was so violent and it could also explain the woman's dead body. If she had phencyclidine in her system, it was no wonder she couldn't find her way out of the cave. That, along with the effects of the genjutsu must've made her death that more frightening.

Sakura sits back sighing as she massages her temples. There were only a few plants that she could think of that could be paired up with this drug to cause the effects in Riku, and her anger flares at the sheer determination Orochimaru had in order to come up with this substance. If her theory is correct, then the plants in this chemical cannot be found in Fire Country which hinders her from making a proper antidote. Her fists bang on the table in frustration. "Dammit." She'll just have to pray that whatever pasture was nearby had something she could use to make a remedy.

"Hey, I found something!" Naruto yells.

The medic nin rises from her seat, Sasuke accompanies her as they walk through a set of double doors. Inside, they find more blood splattered across the floor with yet another medical table at the center of it all. There are restraints attached to the table, an empty IV bag lays forgotten nearby and Sakura doesn't need to guess that it didn't contain any sort of healing saline. Naruto points to a corner of the room where a pile of flasks, some broken and some intact lay. This is where the civilians must've gotten the drugs from and it alarms Sakura just how many of them ventured into this cave to of emptied out the stash.

Looking around the room more, there is a table with a bone drill, choppers, chisels, dissectors, clamps, retractors and several other surgical tools on it; all of which are stained with blood. Sakura closes her eyes at the horrific images that she could only imagine must've taken place. Having had enough of being inside the room that practically reeked of death, she turns to walk out, taking her liquid evidence with her.

"I have what I need. Let's get out of here."

Naruto is the first one to step out the laboratory, with Sasuke directly behind him until he feels a small hand on his shoulder. He glances over to find Sakura staring at him with a look full of anger and disgust. He raises a delicate eyebrow in question.

"Burn it," she says.

Understanding, he steps aside so that she could get out. His hands weave through the necessary signs for a fire jutsu as he fills his lungs with chakra, his chest expands and he brings his right hand to his mouth blowing out a concentrated amount of fire into the laboratory. Instantly, there is a loud sound of glass shattering. Everything in the room is being consumed by Sasuke's fire, his Sharingan and Rinnegan are spinning recording the destruction that is long overdue. Once everything seems to be ignited, he steps out of the doorway, closing the heavy steel door so that nothing seeps out.

Ten minutes later the three of them are out of the hideout and into the sunlight. They stand a few feet away from the cave, neither of them speaking a word as the smoke from the fire begins to show through the cracks. Sakura gathers chakra onto her fist, running towards the cave, she slams her fist into the wall with a loud BOOM resonating throughout the clearing as she jumps back beside Sasuke and Naruto. The cave crumbles to the ground in an instant with the debris of the stones and the smoke from the fire mingling as one rising up into the air.

Naruto puts a gentle hand on his teammates shoulder, the pinkette wraps her fingers around his grateful for his silent support. Viridian eyes shift towards Sasuke, she notices that his doujutsu is still activated as he watches everything crumble to pieces. She wonders what he's thinking at that moment. His gaze shifts to hers and their eyes meet for a second before Sakura looks away.

_'It's over'._

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**A/N: **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a review. Also, please let me know if you'd like a notice in my bio that tells you guys how far along i've written the next chapter so that way you have an idea as to when I'll be updating. It'll be based on percentage, for example Chapter 7 is 0% completed (obviously) so let me know if you'd like me to post the development of future chapters.

P.S I watched The Last on Saturday and OMG it was AMAZING! That is hands down the BEST Naruto movie ever made. The animation was superb and the story line was perfectly developed. The love story between Naruto and Hinata is so fucking cute and the way the movie ended was so beautiful, like I can't get over it! My only complaint is that I wish I would've seen more of Sasuke in the movie. He makes like three appearances as they mostly show him in the dessert and then briefly in Konoha, but other than that i enjoyed the movie from beginning to end. If you guys haven't seen it yet, GO! I've posted the link to where you can find the list of cities hosting the movie. The Last will be coming out on DVD this summer so if you don't get to see it in theaters, be on the lookout for the DVD. I won the official movie poster for The Last when I went to go see it, I was so freaking excited when I won it. I'll be using it as inspiration in order to give you guys the SasuSaku interaction you're all craving for. Ugh, I want to go watch the movie again lol


	7. Chapter 7

Naruto watches Sakura closely as she hovers her hands over Riku with healing green chakra. He sees the way her brows are furrowed together with concentration, a very light bead of sweat is gathered at the back of her neck. Her pink hair is pulled back into a high ponytail with her bangs swept to the side. He thinks that she looks beautiful despite the obvious stress she's in. He doesn't really see her as a romantic interest anymore, but he can't deny her beauty, especially in the way she handles herself.

He is so incredibly proud of his best friend. Naruto is astounded with her growth. She'd grown up to be a very successful kunoichi all on her own and a part of him regrets the days, weeks and even months that he'd been away from her. Their friendship means more than anything to him and he kind of feels like he disappointed her with not being able to watch her develop. Feels as though they should have developed _together._

Azure eyes shift over to his other team mate. Sasuke is standing by the doorway of Kaede's hut and he notices that the dark haired shinobi is also watching their female companion closely. His gaze is neutral, but he sees the way his eyes follow every direction Sakura's hands move. It's strange, Naruto thinks to himself, to see his friend just standing a few ways away from them.

The years had not been considerate of Team Seven what with separating the three shinobi from one another. They'd each taken separate routes in their training but nonetheless they each came out exceptionally strong in their own right. When the kyuubi vessel thinks about what happened during the war, his chest fills with pride at their team work together even if there were times that it got ... bumpy to put it gently.

Yes, their teamwork had been a little rocky, but the three of them still knew each other enough to back up one another when needed. They'd managed to stop Kaguya together because of their bonds and it's that thought alone that gives Naruto hope for the three of them despite the obvious tension between Sasuke and Sakura. There were many times in which he's wanted to ask her about _that night_ in which their friend left the village, but when he remembers the look of agony on her face and the pure desperation in her eyes, he thinks that maybe that might be something that should stay between the two of them.

He's never understood their relationship. Theirs was a bond that was delicate and wavering unlike the brotherly relationship he had with Sasuke, they couldn't just duke it out like they did. The loud mouthed ninja may not be the brightest bulb in the box sometimes, but he could practically feel the uncertainty between the two of them which saddens him greatly because wasn't this what he and Sakura dreamt about for so many years? Their dark haired friend was finally back - in a sense - but he supposes that years of yearning for someone and loving them so deeply, only to have them throw it back at you, is not easy to recuperate from. He can only hope that Sasuke doesn't fuck it up this time around.

Index and middle finger gently press against Riku's forehead. Green eyes close, brows furrowing in concentration as Sakura's hand turns from a pale green color to a off white shade. Sasuke watches carefully noticing the way her chakra turns to a different color as her Yin seal glows faintly. He doesn't remember ever seeing her use this kind of technique during the war. Was this a new ability that she learned afterwards? His thoughts are cut short when the pinkette suddenly pulls away from the villager as if she'd been burned by an invisible flame. Unconsciously, he unfolds his arms, his bent leg straightening almost prepared to walk over to her. _Almost_.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Naruto asks.

There's a frown on Sakura's face when she replies, "his cerebral cortex, mainly the frontal and parietal lobe are severely damaged."

Of course she'd get all medical on him.

"Meaning what?" Kaede asks.

"Meaning that the frontal lobe which is responsible for reasoning, movement, and emotions as well as the parietal lobe which is responsible for perception of stimuli and recognition are damaged to the point where it's making him act feral."

"How do you know?"

Sakura points to the diamond seal on her forehead. "I've gathered chakra in this seal for years which allows me to concentrate more of it in a way that I'm able to seep my chakra into someone else to examine them on a more molecular level as opposed to just using my healing chakra to speed up a healing process."

"I'm not sure I follow," the old woman says.

"Usually, my chakra is used to heal. I can use it to scan the body for injury, but I can't actually go deep into the body and fix something like nerves." Her hand turns from a off white to blue. "This chakra is used for combat but I can also use it for surgery if necessary by creating chakra scalpels. With this, I can cut tissue without breaking skin. By changing the nature of this chakra, I've developed a way in which not only could I cut delicate tissue, but I could also mend and regenerate more finite things in the body such as nerves in the brain."

"Wow. You're a very accomplished medical ninja."

"She's the best in Fire Country." Naruto adds.

Onyx eyes watch as the chakra dissipates from the rosette's hand. Her technique certainly was interesting.

"I could try to heal the damage to his brain, but it wouldn't be fully successful. I would first have to extract the drugs in his body followed by an intensive therapy session. Ultimately, I could get rid of his dangerous nature, but it'll leave him overly docile and his motor skills won't be the same."

Kaede gasps into her hand. Looking down, her eyes soften at the almost peaceful look the boy before her has on his face. Why? She thinks. Why did he have to go and mess with the unknown? Wrinkly fingers sweep through his brown hair affectionately. "This is horrible," she whispers.

"The brain can only take so much damage. It's only elastic to a certain point, but something like this will prevent him from adapting to anything beyond the treatment. The best thing for him is to be taken to Konoha to be looked after."

Tired eyes look into youthful green ones. "When can you do this?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. I've left a little of my chakra in his system to prepare him for what's to come. The initial extraction will be painful so he'll need my chakra as a anesthetic of sorts to get him through the pain."

"...Okay. Thank you, Sakura. You're an angel."

The medic nin smiles at the old woman offering her assurance that she'll try her best to help Riku. A little while later, the three shinobi leave the hut to retire for the night in a hut just a few doors down from Kaede's. After laying out their sleeping bags, Sasuke steps out the cabin stating that he'd take first watch. He jumps up onto the roof, dark eyes surveying the area.

Two hours pass by when Sakura decides to get up and go for a walk. She's been restless, not being able to get herself to fall asleep and that's not including Naruto's snores. Ever since scanning Riku's brain, she'd been on edge. A mental image of a crazed mad man runs by her minds eye almost like -

(-She steps out the doorway and looks up)

-Sasuke.

The raven haired ninja is sitting on the rooftop Indian style with his eyes closed. He seems to be meditating which is a strange site to see for Sakura. Either way, she knows that he's alert as ever. Looking away, she makes her way down the road for a walk to clear her mind.

The night is quiet in the Sound Village which is a welcomed sense. Better to be silent than to hear the loud echoes of people screaming. Sasuke is well aware that Sakura walked out for a stroll, but judging by the position of the waxing moon she hasn't been back for a while. Standing tall and giving the village one last look around, the Uchiha jumps off the roof and follows the ever familiar chakra signature.

He doesn't expect to find the pinkette at the demolition site. She's standing before all the rubble and for a second he has to remind himself that she'd been the cause of that destruction.

"Sakura."

His ever observant gaze sees the way her shoulders tense up at the sound of his voice, but she doesn't turn to face him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hn."

"What took you so long? What I mean is," she turns to face him now, "what took you so long to kill Orochimaru?"

"What are you getting at?"

"The day I saw you after those two years you left Konoha, I sensed something different with you. We may have not gotten the chance to fight one another, but I know you were more than ready to leave his side."

A brief memory of him raising his kusangi against her flies by his minds eye. His blade had been sharp, glistening in the hot sun overhead ready to strike his old team mate. He remembers the way she encased her fist in blue chakra, his Sharingan trying to decipher the best way to disengage her ability. He wonders what the outcome would've been if they had fought.

"I was biding my time," Sasuke replies.

"For what?" She asks.

The image of Itachi falling face first into the concrete that day resurfaces, his hands balling up into fists. He wouldn't tell her that yes, he'd been more than ready to dispose of the snake Sannin, but he wasn't prepared to face his brother just yet. He'd needed more time to prepare, to do his research for afterwards, and this is where Taka came into play. He wishes that he could take it all back.

There is a long pregnant pause between the two estranged team mates. Sakura sighs out of frustration at Sasuke's lack of response, her eyes closing trying to reign in her temper. Sighing once again, the medic nin walks over to the rogue ninja standing opposite ways of him, shoulder to shoulder.

She doesn't look up to meet his gaze. "There's no need for you to hide things from me anymore. We're adults now so you don't need to worry about my feelings."

Dark eyes stare straight ahead towards the rubble. What makes her think that he should tell her anything about his past? There's no need to talk about it. In fact, he wishes that he could forget _everything_. He's much more comfortable acting like it never happened. If she knew the truth about everything, she'd understand, but he wasn't ready to talk about it. Maybe ever.

"We're in the same circle whether you like it or not." She adds before walking away.

"Tch." _Annoying. _

* * *

"I'll start the procedure as soon as I get back."

Kaede nods.

"Naruto, I think you should stay just in case he wakes up and is aggressive. I'll be back soon."

"What if he does wake up?" He asks.

_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_ "Risa will stay here to put him back to sleep in case of anything."

Naruto extends out a tanned hand out to the little slug. She crawls up his arm and perches herself on his shoulder, her little antennas wiggling.

Sasuke and Sakura make their way out the hut in silence. Neither of them say a word to one another. A little while later they arrive to the clearing that Sasuke had spoken of.

The meadow is vast with a sickly green color to it. Sakura is surprised that anything is even still alive especially since the blades of grass look rather dehydrated. They walk through the meadow, the shrubbery tickling their feet through their ninja boots.

Viridian eyes are on the lookout for the plant she needs and just before she losses all hope of finding anything, her peripheral vision catches the site of a greyish patch among the grass. She walks towards it and low and behold it's the mushroom that she was looking for, the one that causes Riku's side effects. The fungus is small and there's a scarcity of it, but it should be just enough to make an antidote.

That clever Orochimaru the medic nin thinks to herself. The fungus only grew in Grass Country, a long way from Fire Country, so how in the world was he able to bring it here and cultivate it?

Her eyes shift towards Sasuke who is standing a few feet away from her. _'Could he have...?'_ As if sensing her stare on him, dark eyes connect with questioning emerald. "How -"

"Orochimaru sent me out to get it."

Sakura's eyes widen in shock. "You actually left the base?"

"I wasn't a prisoner, Sakura."

Somehow, that statement alone makes her heart ache. Of course he wasn't. He'd gone willingly to Sound after all, but she didn't think that that perverted rogue ninja would let his precious target out of his site. Orochimaru had been so obsessed with Sasuke, willing to do anything in order to possess his body for his next life.

She couldn't begin to imagine how many items he's had Sasuke pick up throughout the Five Great Nations in order to do his experiments, but she figures that he must've been exposed to a lot of biochemical properties which could greatly effect anyone without the proper care. This makes her think back to Riku back at the village, he'd only been slightly exposed to the chemicals, but Sasuke had two years worth of exposure so how is it that he seemed normal?

The question burns hot on her tongue. She wants to ask the brooding ninja how he handled everything, the amount of time of his exposure, but she doubts he'd answer her. Instead, green eyes roam over his figure slowly as if trying to analyze him. He seemed normal, but without assessing him internally, she'd never know.

Sasuke walks back to Sakura and hands her two different kinds of herbs. "This might be what you're looking for."

It was exactly what she was looking for.

"Thank you ..."

Sakura stands up from her crouching possession, her head just barely reaching underneath Sasuke's chin. When she looks up at him, her heart nearly leaps to her throat at the stare that he's giving her. His dark eyes seem to be searching for something, and it unnerves her because there are so many things that she doesn't want him to know, but her heart was never easy to hide when it came down to him. It seems so easy to just want to let him into her life again, but then she thinks back on how cold and indifferent he is, and she wonders if it's really worth it. She isn't saying that she doesn't love him anymore, but there's a fine line of loving someone, but never receiving anything in return. Heartbreak, especially twice in one lifetime, is not easy to overcome but she is a woman know. A woman who knows better and can reasonably think for herself. If she ever wants to keep herself together she'll have to stop expecting things from Sasuke.

She raises a questioning pink eyebrow at him. "What?"

"You've changed."

The pinkette intakes a sharp breath. "You can't expect me to be the same little genin you knew."

Sasuke's jaw tightens, green eyes see the way in which he grinds his teeth together. She doesn't know what his problem is but she had work to do and if he wasn't going to share anything, then there was no reason for her to stand there.

And for the second time in less than a week, the Uchiha watches Haruno Sakura walk away.

* * *

Please review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter. Thank you to everyone who has followed/favorited my story so far!


	8. Chapter 8

Sakura dips her hand into the clear liquid solution that she curated from the herbs that she and Sasuke went out to find in the meadow. Her hand is encased with a thin veil of chakra so that she could manipulate it within Riku's body in order to take out the drugs in his system. She prepares for the worse when it comes down to Riku because judging by his chakra signature, he was a regular citizen, and it worried the medic nin that the pain would be overly excruciating for him.

As children, shinobi train their pain threshold so that when they get into a fight, the hits don't hurt as much. It is the best and most effective way in order to get a job done; especially if one day, you are assigned an S rank mission, or like in the case of two years ago, you are ready to fight in a war with no problem.

When she'd first done this procedure to Kankuro back at the Sand Village, it was difficult enough, even if he was an accomplished ninja. He'd thrashed about when she was pulling Sasori's poison out of him, luckily there hadn't been a huge amount in him, but with Riku, she didn't have a clear clue as to how much of a dosage he'd taken from the chemicals found in Orochimaru's hideout, but she could infer that it had to of been a lot to cause the kind of brain damage she found when she'd scanned him the previous day.

Sakura presses her ear against the villagers' chest to hear the beating of his heart, it's a little slow and every few seconds it seems to skip a beat. She'll have to take the procedure slow as to not cause him further complications. She hovers a delicate hand over Riku's chest, her green eyes connecting with azure and onyx. "I need you two to hold him down. He's going to come to, most likely very violently so be prepared."

Naruto holds Riku's ankles while Sasuke holds his shoulders. The pinkette takes in a deep breath, she feels her steady chakra flow through her network, and clearing her mind she places her hand gently on Riku's chest. She lets her energy flow through his body and she feels it running its course as it latches onto the foreign substance in his body. There is a resistance within him, almost as if the drugs he'd taken had become one with him.

She feels a dark energy emanating from his body, and it almost seems a little familiar to her, but she pays little mind to it as she lifts her hand from his chest and begins to pull the substance out. Not a second later, Riku's eyes fly open, they're dilated just like before, but then his eyeballs begin to shift every which way which then roll to the back of his head. His mouth opens in a silent scream, his throat emanating a hoarse breath.

Sakura presses her hand a little firmer against his chest when she begins to feel his chest heave. Luckily, Sasuke's iron grip on his shoulders helps from him moving too much. She leans over the brown haired boy, placing her free hand on the other side of him as she directs her chakra through his system, pulling the drugs from his heart cavity like a flowing river she receives the pollution in her free hand and emptying it in a nearby basin. Riku begins to actually scream out in pain this time as everything seeps out his body. The medic nin wishes that she could do the procedure faster, but because it was such a delicate operation, she had to take it slow or else who knows what kind of damages he could further sustain.

Dark eyes observe the way the black, gelatin like substance leaves the civilians body, his eyes ever focused on Riku's arms in case they snap out of the restraints. There's something that bothers him about what he sees coming out of the body, his eyebrows furrowing trying to remember something suppressed. He doesn't realize that he's lost in his thoughts till Naruto screams out Sakura's name in a panic.

Eyes darting up at her, he sees the shocked look on her face, his eyes then moving down to see that whatever it was that she was pulling out the body is now trailing up her arms. Riku's eyes have glazed over to pitch black, his iris completely dark and his veins are protruding out exponentially and rather them being the normal blue color everyone is familiar with, the veins are also black running within his body causing strange markings to appear just like...

"Stop the procedure." Sasuke says.

The medic nin shakes her head. "I can't, I've already started."

"You're being infected!" Naruto exclaims.

"I'll be fine."

The dark matter begins to descend down Riku's arms, down to his legs and up towards his neck. The veins near his temples look extremely strained, almost as if they are ready to burst. Onyx eyes sees the way it's also running up Sakura's arms making its way up towards her collarbone, and that's when it hits him - this drug was the same one that Orochimaru used as a prototype for the curse mark. The snake shinobi along with Kabuto created a drug that was meant for lesser ranked shinobi to be infused with so that they too could be the ruthless, murderous and crazed ninja that the Sannin wanted guarding his hideouts.

He's seen so many of these kinds of men and even women coming to the base and accepting to be apart of the experiment in hopes of gaining a purpose in life by being Orochimaru's subordinate. Many of them were usually homeless or didn't possess the necessary skills they needed to be in an academy. Sasuke had seen this prototype fail time and again, his first time being when the man practically exploded in the cell they'd passed by the other day.

If Sakura kept healing Riku, she'd undoubtedly either get infected also or worse if the drugs infused in just the right way, she could possibly receive the Curse Mark. Sasuke had only seen the latter happen about a handful of times since his stay with the Sannin, but he'd seen the former many a time. The last thing he would ever want to happen is for her to go through what he did.

Onyx eyes bleed over from black to red and violet, his Sharingan and Rinnegan coming to life. His large hand wraps itself around her delicate wrist, green eyes connect with his dojutsu, her breath hitching at the intensity she sees.

"What're you doing?" She asks.

"Keep your eyes on me. Continue what you're doing." Sasuke responds.

"I need to be able to see where I'm placing the aftermath."

"I'll keep the basin near you." Naruto adds.

Pink eyebrows furrow together with confusion, but nonetheless she obeys what her dark haired companion says. Sasuke was never the type of person to do something without cause, so he had to have a reason for acting so ... _cautious_. Her eyes are focused on his, and for a brief moment she feels herself drowning in his stare. Sakura goes into autopilot as she works on Riku, her chakra doing what her mind mentally willed it, but at the same time she feels a strong force grounding her to Sasuke.

It's a strange feeling in the beginning. Her hands are automatic in the push and pull of her work, but her mind is purely focused on the raven haired man before her. Her heart rate is steady like a beating drum, her eyes never breaking contact from his and weirdly enough they don't feel dry from her lack of blinking. For the first few minutes, it's just her in the pulling movement, but then the silence reigns and all she can see is Sasuke.

It's just her and him, connected with one another through the deep intense gaze. Her heart begins to beat a little faster when she notices the lazy swirl of his Sharingan and for that one brief moment, her heart stills as the long ago memory of the chunin exams resurfaces. The bright red of his dojutsu had boarded deep within her, and now six years later, those same eyes bury themselves into her subconscious; suppressing something that she faintly feels.

Sakura sees her reflection in his eyes, sees the familiarity he acknowledges her with and its beautiful to finally see him looking back at her. All the years of patience couldn't have prepared her for this one moment in time. For what seems like forever, Sasuke and Sakura stare at one another, until the Uchiha senses a distress in her chakra. It's dark and wholly not the warm, steady energy he so clearly feels from her and it's in that moment when he sees the way she is fighting something.

Her face had been relaxed, eyes transfixed to his, glazed over by the calm serenity that he was trying to give her, but it all changed within a split second when her usually bright and vibrant viridian eyes began to dilate. She's sweating and her hands are opening and closing as if flexing her tired knuckles. He senses a quiet rage from her, one that was wholly out of the blue which is when he notices that the black markings have completely tattooed her body. In that one moment in time, after so many years of practiced empathy, Sasuke feels the tell tale tingle of something akin to panic.

"I think she's done, but Sasuke what's going on!? What's happening to her!" Naruto screams.

Sure enough, the basin is completely full, and Riku seems to be breathing normally, the markings no longer on him but rather on Sakura. There's no time to celebrate her success in curing her patient when now she was the one in immediate danger.

Sakura wasn't sure what was happening to her except that one minute she was in serenity and the next she felt her muscles tighten, ready to fight, and ready to pummel the closest thing to her. She felt her chakra network becoming restless and somewhat difficult to control, the feeling completely alien to her as she's always had it in check. There's a burning sensation in her veins, her blood pumping in what feels like the speed of a hummingbirds wings. Her chest is slowly picking up a more labored breathing, her mind beginning to cloud in dark thoughts of the past.

Dark, green eyes narrow at Sasuke. An almost predatory look is on her face as she wraps her free hand around his wrist holding hers with more force than necessary. Taking her sudden hostility towards him as a sign of impending doom, Sasuke's Sharingan begins to spin wildly as it bores into her gaze.

Everything goes black.

* * *

A/N Hello my friends, forgive me for the delay. I know I said that I'd update much sooner, but life got in the way lol I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I tried to make it a little longer so as to not disappoint you all for my broken promise. Please do leave a review and tell me your thoughts, I love hearing from you all!

Also, if anyone knows of a good Beta that is willing to look over my future chapters please tell me. I'm in need of someone to check for spelling and mostly to just keep me in check between updates. Thanks!

Am I the only one who's excited about Naruto Gaiden that comes out on 4/25?! I cannot wait to see the new series as well as the Boruto movie. The trailer was just too funny!


	9. Chapter 9

_He's screaming. _

_The forest is quiet, tranquil and bleak. The immensely tall trees stand mighty, the treetops bountiful as they overlap one another barely letting any sunlight through. The air around them is dry, but laced with a heavy sense of pure fear. _

_A pale hand squeezes a barely calloused one with more force than necessary. Another loud scream resounds throughout the forest making the small, helpless, ignorant girl with cotton candy hair wince in pain, but nonetheless she stays by the agonized boys' side. _

_'__What do I do?! What do I do?!'_

_Twelve year old Sakura begins to cry. Like always. She's distraught and completely clueless as to how to console Sasuke. She sees the way his body writhes in pain, his eyes shut tight, his breathing heavily labored; choked screams booming from his thin dry lips._

_'__What do I do?!'_

_With shaking, delicate fingers she moves his high collared blue shirt to the side for a better look at his injury. Her eyebrows furrow with confusion when she sees a strange mark on the junction between his shoulder and neck along with two puncture holes. Her index finger brushes over the strange seal and it feels hot to the touch. _

_Sasuke tries to standup but only manages to get on his knees. Another scream, much louder than before, falls from his lips. His left hand is firmly holding his female team mates hand. A small reassurance to him that he wasn't alone, that he'd be taken care of. All of his Uchiha pride is thrown out the window as he finally gives into the pain and sudden exhaustion with a sudden shout, he collapses into the girls arms. _

_'__What do I do?!' _

_"__Naruto! Sasuke's hurt! I need you!" _

_"__So weak." _

_Young Sakura looks up, her eyes widening at an older version of herself standing before her. Petite arms tighten around Sasuke trying to protect him from this strangers view. The older Sakura laughs at the display. It's a dark laugh, maniacal and sinister, reminding the genin of the Sound shinobi that was burned by Sasuke's flames. _

_"__He won't be with you forever." Older Sakura says. _

_Tears are rolling down young Sakura's face as she responds, "What do you mean?"_

_A sinister smirk plays on the woman's lips. The genins arms begins to feel empty. When young eyes look down, Sasuke is slowly evaporating away. Sheer panic begins to overtake her. 'No, no, no!' In the next second he's gone, leaving her alone with this cold version of herself. Her heart skips to her throat when future Sakura is suddenly standing before her, yanking her up to her feet by the collar of her shirt._

_Frightened green look up into angry eyes. "Give in," she says._

_"__What?" _

_Dark Sakura pushes the adolescent version of herself to the ground. When she hits the floor, her line of vision changes, her body feels different, stronger. When she stands up, she's now the same height as her doppelganger. She sees the reflection in her eyes. Young Sakura is now the version of today; the proud renowned medic of the Leaf Village. _

_"__Give in," she repeats. _

_Sakura jumps away from her, putting a fair distance between them. 'What the hell is going on?' Her eyes are ever calculating, waiting to see if her counterpart makes a move. She blinks once, twice, thrice and one the forth blink her mirror image is tattooed with black markings across the right side of her face. _

_'__Oh God no…' The medic nin throws a kunai at the nightmare, but it only goes straight through her. The weapon disappearing into the dark abyss. _

_"__Give in," she repeats again only this time much louder. A pregnant pause. She repeats it again, and again, and again until present day Sakura has to cover her ears to drown out her voice, her eyes shutting tight. _

_"__You're not real!"_

_Another evil laugh emanates around her as Sakura clutches at her hair, pressing her hands more firmly against her ears to drown all the sound out. After a while, it's silent. Emerald eyes open to see the genin version of Sasuke standing in front of her now. His curse mark visible, with the dark markings all along his body, his Sharingan activated. He stares at her for a long moment with cold, vengeful eyes, only to turn away from her the next second and begins to walk away. _

_Sakura takes a step forward wanting to go after him only to stop in her tracks when her genin self runs passed her. "Stop!" She screams, as she throws her thin arms around him. The medic nin watches as he turns around, looking at the young girl with a look that she hadn't understood back then. _

_"__Sakura."_

_She tilts her head to the side and with her peripheral vision she sees the Sasuke of today standing behind her with his mismatched dojutsu activated. _

_"__What's going on?" She asks. _

_"__You're being infected." He replies._

_The image of their younger versions fades away. She turns around giving Sasuke her full attention. "Infected by what?" _

_"__Whatever you pulled out of Riku." _

_A brief image flashes before her mind's eye as she works on the brown haired boy, her memory is beginning to return. "Fucking Orochimaru," she bites out. "How're you in my mind?"_

_His Sharingan spins lazily. "I'm suppressing your violent nature."_

_"__Is this what you went through?" _

_The Uchiha looks away._

_"__Answer me!" Sakura growls. _

_"__Yes. Only much worse." _

_"…__Now what happens?" _

_"__That's up to you." _

_"__What do you mean?"_

_"__Are you going to give in? Are you going to let the infection spread?" _

_For one brief moment Sakura swears that she sees a different version of Sasuke. His skin is grey, his eyes totally pitch black, huge unhuman hands behind him for wings, but she shakes her head at the anomaly. "I –"Her heart begins to pound uncontrollably, her vision is beginning to get foggy. Sakura clutches her chest in pain to try to subside it. _

_'__So weak. You're nothing more than dead weight. You're just a little girl playing ninja. Loser.' _

_"__Sasuke …" _

_The ex-avenger walks up to the troubled woman grasping her by her shoulders. "Remember who you are, Sakura." _

_"__I am –"_

_'__Useless.'_

_"__I am –"_

_'__Dead weight.'_

_"__I –" _

_'__Pathetic.'_

_"__Am –"_

_'"__First and foremost, you are my disciple, a kunoichi who will inherit the power of the Legendary Sannin. And … Haruno Sakura … You are also the disciple of the Fifth Hokage!"'_

The pinkette gasps out a breath of air, her chest heaving, back arching up, green eyes flying open as she sits up right. Her body is shaking and she can feel her chakra returning back to normal. Two long fingers poke her seal, hazy eyes looking into onyx. Sasuke is couched before her as he withdraws his hand away from her forehead. "Hn."

"Sakura! Are you alright?!' Naruto says while desperately clutching at her shoulders.

She looks herself over, inspecting herself. She isn't tattooed with anything and a quick scan of her networks reveals that she is fine. "Yeah, I'm okay. Riku?

"He's sleeping next door. I … Sakura, what did you see?"

"Let her be, Naruto." Sasuke interrupts.

"Bastard! You saw the way she was acting!"

Sakura holds up her hand to stop her loud mouthed friend from talking. "Naruto, please, calm down. I'm fine. Your yelling isn't making me feel any better."

The dark haired shinobi stands up from his position leaving his two team mates in the hut alone. Sakura follows after him, feeling a strong sense of needing to speak to him "Where are you going?"

"Leaving."

"What? Why?"

"We did what we had to. I've already reported to Kakashi."

"Is this about what just happened?"

Sasuke's hands ball up into fists, he doesn't bother looking at her. Sakura flash steps in front of him blocking his path. "Are you really going to go just because of this?"

"Move, Sakura."

"No! Why can't you just talk to me?! I'm trying to understand everything that just happened."

"There's nothing to understand."

Onyx and emerald eyes clash with one another. "You're a stubborn man, Uchiha." The rosette sighs. "I wish you were more open with me."

"…"

Sakura steps to the side allowing the dark haired man walk passed her. He doesn't spare her another glance as he jumps up onto a nearby branch and into the forest. She's so angry at this point, so fed up with Sasuke's bullshit and how he never wants to convey anything to her. Doesn't he realize that what she'd seen in her memories was something sacred? Something that had affected her so greatly as a child, that only they knew? She didn't want him to baby her, far from it, but she needed to talk to him. She needed answers.

Her ninja heels sink into the gravel as she walks back into the hut where Naruto is. His eyebrow raises in a silent question when he doesn't see the brooding ninja walk in with her. "He's gone," she answers.

Azure eyes flash with worry then understanding. "I see."

"Naruto … what was I doing?"

Her best friend looks away for a moment taking a deep breath. "You were crying and kept uttering the word 'weak' over and over again."

Sakura looks down, her fringe hiding her eyes from him. When were her insecurities ever going to end? Would this be her trump card? She feels strong arms wrap around her, Naruto places her head on his shoulder. "I don't know what you saw, but Sakura –"He pulls away from her at arm's length to look her in the eye. "Don't ever call yourself weak."

Shaking her head in agreement she thanks her best friend, helping him stand up. "Come on, let's get Riku back to Konoha."

* * *

A/N: i had a lot of fun writing this chapter tho I have to say i'm not entirely thrilled with how I ended it. I'll probably come back to edit it later, but I really wanted to get this up before you guys forget what the heck is going on. Please leave me a review telling me your thoughts.

Also, what the actual fuck Kishi?! How is it that Sasuke and Sarada have never met?! I can't. There are no words to describe how the first two chapters of Naruto Gaiden has me. You have my full, undivided attention, Kishi. Ugh!


	10. Chapter 10

"Here are Riku's lab reports. I still have some work to do in figuring out his medical history."

"Good work, Sakura. I'm proud of you."

Viridian and honey brown eyes connect as Sakura gives Tsunade a small smile in appreciation. "I wish he didn't have to suffer so much."

Her mentor sighs. "You saved him from death. That's all that matters."

"I know, but now he has to become a ward of Konoha. Which, by the way, I need to talk to Kakashi on getting those documents signed." At this, the blonde woman rolls her eyes. "To my knowledge he has no family except for the old woman Kaede who isn't even related to him by blood."

"We'll take care of him, don't worry. He'll receive the best treatment there is and who knows, perhaps his condition will improve with time. He's still young."

Sakura nods her head in agreement. "I'll go see Kakashi about those transfer papers." The pinkette turns to leave her Shishou's office but she is stopped at the sudden question of Sasuke. "I know it's none of my business, but are you okay?" Tsunade asks.

Honey eyes notice the way Sakura's hands ball up into fists at her side. '_Guess not.'_ Irritation fills her chest towards the Uchiha boy for always causing her adopted daughter pain. Sometimes, she wishes that Sakura would move on, but the Senju descendent was no stranger to love and carrying it with her for years, even till this very day. "He … is an asshole." She hears her pupil whisper as she walks out of the office.

It takes no more than five minutes for Sakura to reach the Hokage tower. She greets people as they pass by her, stopping for a quick chat with Shizune. "I have no idea how you put up with him as your sensei." She says.

Sakura laughs, "That bad today, huh?"

"Just one of his more lazy days. He might just pass off some paperwork to you." Shizune sighs.

Green eyes roll in exasperation. "Great, more paperwork."

"See you around, Sakura!"

The rosette knocks on the door and hears a muffled, "come in." Stepping into Kakashi's office, she immediately notices the piles of documents surrounding his desk. Her faces pales at the site. "What in the world have you been doing?!"

The Hokage sweat drops, "Help."

Sakura shakes her head, pink hair swaying with her movements. "You're impossible."

"So I've heard. What can I do for you?"

"It's about the boy we brought back from Sound. Have you started the paperwork to incorporate him as Konoha citizen?"

"I have actually. I have some investigators looking for any additional information, such as surviving family members."

"I don't really think he has any. The closest thing to family he has is the old woman that came with us."

"I see. Well, in any case, he'll become a ward of Konoha."

"Thank you."

The Hokage raises a fine eyebrow. "Why do I sense that something else is bothering you?"

Green eyes meet with black. "I have an idea, but with the village still repairing itself after the war, I don't know if we even have the budget for it."

"What were you planning?"

The medical ninja takes a deep breath. "I want to open a children's clinic to help them cope with any losses they might have suffered from the war."

Kakashi stares at his former pupil. It was certainly a good idea, one that he backed upp one hundred percent. In all his years of being a shinobi and being a part of ANBU, the Scarecrow had seen many war victims, especially children who had lost their families and belongings. He remembers one particular ANBU mission in which a little boy, probably no more than seven years old, cried on top of his father's corpse after the village had been raided that very morning. His stomach turns when he remembers not being able to do anything for the boy except for carrying him to the closest hospital for treatment.

The Fourth Shinobi War had definitely been great in the sense where not a single village had been spared of the devastation caused by Madara. Kakashi could only imagine all the people displaced from the said war and he couldn't be more proud of his former student for taking on such a project.

Smiling at her through his mask he responds, "I think that is an excellent idea. I will bring it up at the next Hokage meeting to discuss allocating the funds for it."

Sakura gives him a huge grin. "Thank you!"

Kakashi nods, his chest warming up at seeing her so happy, but there was something that he needed to discuss with her. "Sakura, about your mission to Sound …"

The smile she had immediately slipped away. "Yes?"

"Sasuke mentioned that you had an encounter with some substance."

Sakura stiffens. "Yes, but I handled it." She replies.

"I don't doubt that you did, but Sakura … Orochimaru's experiments are very dangerous. I just want to make sure that you are okay."

"I appreciate that Lord Hokage, but I am perfectly fine."

Kakashi was never good at dealing with his female student whenever she was frustrated, but he trusted her and believed in her abilities. What Sasuke had briefly explained to him via the messenger hawk, was something that bothered the former sensei greatly. He didn't want Sakura to go through what raven haired boy did in his youth. Remembering drawing up the seal for Sasuke and then activating it, had not been easy on the both of them. Opening his eyes as the memory faded back into the corner of his mind which he didn't wish to return to, Kakashi nods at the woman before him in reassurance.

Sakura bows before leaving the office for the second time that day with her hands balled up into fists.

* * *

Cool water drips down Sasuke's face as he brings the canteen to his lips, taking one last swig of the refreshing liquid. Closing the canteen, dark eyes observe the scenery before him. From where he was perched up on the tree, he could see the layout of the small civilian village down below. Gazing to the left, he sees the trail he would have to take to the nearest harbor in order to get to the Land of Waves.

Never in a million years did the dark haired shinobi think that he would ever revisit that village, but there is something that he feels like he needs to go see. Something that will bring him to his center, to calm his thoughts. That something was the Tazuna (Naruto) bridge.

If Sasuke was honest with himself, what happened in Sound bothered him, but he wasn't entirely sure why. When he was on Team Seven, he could admit that Naruto and Sakura did mean _something_ to him. They were … friends, but years of being away from them clouded that friendly border between them and erased it. Years of hatred and vengeance seeped into his heart and destroyed that feeling of ever needing comrades, but Naruto was able to beat it all back into him, and even so, it was easy between the two of them; even easy to speak with Kakashi.

But Sakura was different.

She was _always_ different.

Jumping down from his perch on the tree, Sasuke begins his trip down the hill to the port. The sun blazes on his skin, reddening his cheeks. He thinks about what he'd seen in Sakura's mind in Sound, remembers the image of her younger self wrapping her arms around him in the Forest of Death. That particular memory hadn't crossed his mind in years, he'd actually forgotten it, but after reliving it for the second time he isn't sure how he should take it.

Sasuke has screwed over a lot of people in his life, but the one person who he feels like he should avoid screwing over again is his pink haired enigma. There was something about seeing her throw herself at him while he was losing control that stirred something within him that he didn't feel like he was able to come to terms with yet. All he knew was that it was probably best for her if he stood away from her, which is why he left so abruptly.

The canals breeze is a welcoming feel as it sweeps through his sweaty bangs. He pays the porter a semi handful of coins to get on the boat and in no time the sails are expanding from the breeze carrying all of them away from the harbor and out into the many rivers leading to Waves,

_'It's for the best.'_

It takes but a few hours to get to the village and by then it's already nightfall. Sasuke nods to the captain of the boat in silent gratitude as he makes his way off and onto the empty harbor. The scenery looks different from what he remembers, but then again it could just be because as a genin, he'd only briefly been to this part of town.

The dark haired shinobi makes his way towards the heart of the village, following the lights in the distance and the steady growing noise. When he makes it, his eyes scan for a nearby inn as there's plenty of people around for there to be one. He's surrounded mostly by bars and taverns, of which most are busy with patrons.

He assumes that he's probably somewhere downtown, away from the marketplaces. Having no other choice, Sasuke walks into the nearest tavern and takes the seat that's furthest from everyone in the corner. A woman with light blonde hair walks over to him, asks for his order and for once he doesn't need to glare at a woman trying to flirt with him, because she doesn't. He orders dumplings and a glass of Shōchū, taking the glass of water she places on the table to his lips and drinks.

After his dinner, Sasuke walks to the end of the plaza towards where it is the most quietest not wanting to be bothered by the villages nightlife. He walks into the inn, asks for a room, to which the receptionist responds with a suspicious glare, but nonetheless hands him the room key. His long legs take him to the room quickly, jamming the key into the keyhole, he opens the door placing his satchel by the entrance along with his boots followed by undressing and heading straight to the shower. Afterwards, he dresses into his spare clean clothes and goes to bed.

The next morning, Sasuke finds himself thinking that the village is most definitely very different from what he remembers. Back then, the houses were in average condition and the town was averagely populated. But now, the Land of Waves was prosperous and thriving and so very lively.

The cobblestone streets were jam packed with merchants selling fish he'd never really seen before, even on his many travels. Clerks screamed out prices for different items like exotic fruits, fresh baked breads and locally grown vegetables. There was one stand selling finely made leather which he made a mental note of visiting later.

Sasuke makes his way out of the marketplace and just a little ways ahead he sees the structure he was looking for. The bridge was impressive to say the least. Onyx eyes look up to the name _'The Great Naruto Bridge'_ and he smirks a little thinking that Naruto would probably brag about having something named after him. He walks out onto the bridge and leans his forearms against the edge looking down at the gentle rolling waves below.

"Sasuke?"

Said person turns his head to the right to see who called out his name. A boy, probably a teenager around sixteen, stands before him with a tool box in his left hand. He's tall, but nowhere near as tall as the Uchiha, with flat spikey brunette hair. Somewhere in the back of his mind he can register the boy's face, but the name escapes him. He raises a dark eyebrow in question.

"I'm Inari," he says.

_'Ah.'_

Sasuke nods his head in acknowledgment.

"I never thought I would see you here again," Inari says.

"Neither did I," Sasuke responds.

"I was in Konoha a few years ago helping them rebuild the village after an Akatsuki attack. I asked Naruto and Sakura where you were, but I guess you guys had a fight?"

_'You have no idea.'_

"Yeah."

"What brings you here?" Inari asks.

"Traveling," he responds.

"Are you busy? Maybe I can give you a tour of the village?"

He doesn't know what it is about seeing Inari again that has him agreeing as he pushes off the stone bridge and begins to walk with the teen into the marketplace once again.

* * *

A/N: uh hi? I'm sorry that i've been MIA. My school semester finished back at the end of May and I felt like I needed a little time to myself, but I guess I took too much time and writers block got a hold of me. I'm not entirely pleased with the flow of this chapter, but I wanted to get something out for everyone before you forgot what's going on. I hope you enjoyed this. Please leave a review letting me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

"As you can see the village isn't the same from when Gato was here." Inari starts. "Thanks to you guys, we were able to trade with more commerce with the people from The Land of Fire." The teenage boy stops in front of a fruit stand and points, "I personally think this is the best stand in the market."

Sasuke takes a quick glance at the stand, his eyes focusing at the ripe tomatoes the young woman had on display. It's been a while since he last bit into a good tomato, and he makes a mental note to stop by this stand as well before his departure. He notices that Inari is very well known to the villagers as he waves to people as they walk by.

They reach the end of the square and onto a trail path. "This leads to the residential homes. Do you have anywhere to stay?"

"Ah."

They walk in silence together with Sasuke just enjoying the fresh air. It was a small pleasure that he allowed himself whenever he was traveling, just being one with nature, not thinking about his past demons and being far away from whatever may be suffocating him. His guard is always up though, years of solitude and living with dangerous company gave way to that discipline, but it didn't mean he enjoyed the scenery around him any less.

"My grandfather passed away a few months ago." Inari suddenly blurts.

Onyx eyes look towards the boy. He remembers Tazuna somewhat. He'd been a middle aged man when he was twelve so it's no wonder.

"He never forgot about you or what your team did for us. For the village." The brown haired boy smiles at Sasuke, a smile much too innocent to ever know hardship. "I know what happened to you. Or at least, somewhat."

This causes Sasuke to stop in his tracks and stare at the teen. Inari stops as well and shakes a hand in dismissal. "Word travels. I don't know the exact details, but you had a hand in the war."

"What's your point?"

Inari shrugs. "Everything got pretty fucked up, huh?" He pauses and gives him a serious stare. "Whatever your reasons were, I think what matters is that you never abandoned them."

Sasuke raises a dark eyebrow in question.

"Naruto, Sakura and your sensei." The boy says mattarfactly.

For some reason this irritates Sasuke. "You don't know what you're saying."

He shrugs again. "Maybe. But you know what I think?" Pause. "Anyone who sacrifices themselves like you did for their comrades back then - that feeling _never _goes away - you're a good person, even if you don't see it."

The dark haired shinobi semi glares at the teenage boy. "Tch." He begins to walk away and back to the main square.

"When do you leave?" Inari asks.

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"I'd like to give you something before you leave, if you don't mind. I'll see you on the bridge at noon."

Sasuke doesn't respond. Instead he continues on his way with his hands balled up into fists under his cloak. He reaches a small semi open field, mostly surrounded by trees, but it'll due for him. The past avenger unclips his cloak from around himself and hangs it on a low hanging branch. He then flexes his hands and begins to practice his Kata. To him, it was the best stress reliever.

He trains until the sun dives under the mountains and the stars begin to twinkle in the purple sky and until the surrounding trees look like they've been mauled by an animal.

* * *

Sakura sits at her dinner table fiercely writing on the piece of paper before her. _'It's important that the children know that they aren't alone.' _She writes_. 'To save funds, we will pull some of the interns from the hospital and bring them to the clinic. They will go through a month long training program in grief counseling, with myself as their immediate supervisor.' _Sakura looksout her window and watches as the sky slowly turns a light pink to violet color. Her heart aches at the thought of the village children who aren't able to curl up next to their loved ones. She thinks about the children who don't understand why things are changing in the village, and she thinks about the kids that are plagued by nightmares.

Her thoughts consume her until she finally notices that it's nine o'clock at night, and all she's done is write but a few paragraphs for her proposal. She lets out a small sigh in mild exhaustion. Sakura had been working diligently for months on end now, tending to injured shinobi and aiding them with recovery with physical therapy. She doesn't protest against her workload, in fact she relishes it as it had been a while since she was able to flex her mind in terms of her medical practice.

Standing, Sakura makes her way towards her pantry and pulls out a box of tea followed by grabbing a pot on the dry wrack and filling it with lukewarm water and places it on the burning fire from her stove. She stands with the left side of her hip against the counter as she waits for the water to come to a boil. Tapping her chin with delicate fingers, she recites tomorrow's schedule out loud to herself. Her well trained ears hear the water coming to a boil, taking it off the stove, she pours the hot liquid into a cup and places the tea bag within it.

She suddenly thinks about her brief meeting with Kakashi and the fact that Sasuke told him what happened. The rosette couldn't understand why he would disclose that with the Hokage, but then she assumes that it was probably because he thought it was necessary to include in his report. Sakura found it funny that even though he was not a Konoha shinobi, he still acted like one with being so thorough with something mundane like a mission report.

_'Whatever. I'm putting too much thought in it.'_

Finishing her tea, Sakura puts the used cup in the sink, grabbing her proposal from the table and bringing it into the bedroom. She tucks herself into the cool sheets, the window letting in a soft breeze, propping herself on a pillow, she looks over the brief one last time before turning off the lights and having yet another restless sleep.

* * *

It was a shame that Sasuke couldn't purchase the leather gloves that he was eyeing the day before. When he asked the old man for the price, he wasn't expecting it to be so much, but then again he was low on funds. He had no village to pay him for going out on missions. He wasn't a hired assassin. He had no ties anything.

Uchiha Sasuke was a wanderer.

He never had a problem handling his sword without gloves, but it was just a preference in the sense that he was able to grip it better, and was able to maneuver it as he pleased. As a shinobi he was used to the callousness of his hands, the cuts in between his fingers, and the soreness of his joints. _'It is what it is.'_

The dark haired man walks to the bridge, gloveless, but a small plastic bag of tomatoes are stuffed inside his satchel. He waits for Inari for a few minutes, his tendency to always be earlier than usual was still a trait that Sasuke could never get rid of. The people of the village pass by him, seemingly paying him no mind. He's invisible to these people, a faceless person in a sea of humans and for a moment, he feels like he can breathe easy. As a person whom was worldly known, Sasuke had received his fair share of insults, spits, and almost scuffles at the other villages he'd visited since he left Konoha.

"You came! I was a little worried that you wouldn't show up."

Dark eyes shift to his right as he sees Inari come to a halt next to him. His body tenses a little at the invasion of his personal space, but nods to the teen nonetheless.

"Here," Inari says as he hands Sasuke a small square box.

The shinobi is hesitant at first, but takes it nonetheless. "My grandfather had this commissioned, but he never got the chance to give it to any of you." Sasuke opens the box and what he finds is three different colored chains. A red, yellow and black one clasped as one. He looks up at Inari, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Grandfather said that it represents you, Naruto and Sakura. Here, in the land of Waves, it's custom to give a gift to those whom have helped you dramatically in life. I thought it was a little corny, but he'd want you to have it."

"I can't accept this."

"Why not?"

"We helped you years ago. Send this to Naruto or Sakura."

"But you're here now. Plus ... "Inari scratches the back of his head meekly and laughs."I'm kinda forgetful."

When he was a genin, Team Seven had stayed with Inari's family for no more than three days and the, now teen, had been so incredibly young back then. Sasuke doesn't understand why he'd want to give him this gift, to him of all people. He'd been a brat to the boy and was disrespectful in his own home. He'd barely payed any sort of attention to him and was rude to him as well. All Sasuke had cared about at the time was figuring out how Sakura managed to get to the top of the tree on her first try and beating Naruto at the same task afterwards.

"Please take it. You can use it to keep your cloak fastened much more securely as you're running."

Not wanting to waste any more time, Sasuke nods his head and places the gift in his satchel. "Take care, Uchiha Sasuke. Send my regards to Sakura and Naruto when you see them!" Inari waves his goodbye and runs the opposite direction into the waves of pedestrians. The dark haired shinobi blinks a few times slowly, gathering his thoughts he makes his way down to the port for his next departure.

* * *

It takes about two weeks for Sakura to hear a response from Kakashi concerning the children's clinic, luckily the Kage's thought that it was a good idea and approved of her plan. She finds herself only getting about four hours of sleep for about a month as she was overseeing the construction. It isn't until Ino points out the bags under her now almost pale skin that Sakura takes a day for herself to "catch up" on sleep.

When she wakes up twelve hours later, it's already eight o'clock in the evening. Her stomach growls, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since the morning prior. Not being able to stay away from her project for too long, Sakura decides that she'll go to Ichiraku to get something quick so she could see whatever little progress was made in her absence. When she arrives to the infamous hangout spot, she's not that surprised to see Naruto sitting in the middle of the long chef table. Taking a seat next to her friend, she orders her usual bowl of ramen.

"Hey stranger," Naruto slurps in between bites.

The pinkettes eye twitches at her friend's lack of table manners, "Hi."

"What's up?" He responds after another mouthful of broth.

"Busy with the construction."

Blue eyes meet with green and Naruto frowns a little. "You look exhausted. Have you slept?"

"I just woke up from a ... nap."

Her friend seems skeptical. "I know that you want to help, but you won't be able to if you don't take care of yourself first."

"Says the guy that practically only eats ramen," she scoffs.

"Hey! There's tons of vitamins and nutrition in this!"

"Sure." Sakura rolls her eyes. "Just like there's tons of vitamins and nutrition in sake."

Naruto shrugs. "Maybe there is."

The medic nin lightly slaps her bestfriends shoulder playfully causing him to smirk a little and for a second it reminds her so much of Sasuke. _'Idiot.'_

Wanting to divert from her thoughts of dark hair and dark eyes, she asks Naruto about the supposed rumor that he was going to begin teaching at the academy.

"Not permanently," he begins. "Just a few pop up lectures every now and then."

"That's pretty cool. I'm sure the students will love you."

Tan skin turns to red. "Nah! Hey, you should give a lecture, too."

"Maybe."

"I heard you're getting promoted to Jounin. Congrats! You deserve it."

"It's not written in stone yet. I still need to take the exams. I'm not even sure I have time for it."

Naruto's blue eyes widen. "Are you crazy!?" He yells almost spilling the rest of his broth. "You better take the exam!"

"But the clinic -"

"Will be constructed. Come on, Sakura you have to become a Jounin! Do it for Team Seven!"

Could she really do it? Could the girl who once wore a red bow in her hair, grew her hair out for a boy, cared about diets and her wardrobe; could the naive girl that thought that the shinobi life was just spending days and nights out the village under the stars was that simple, really become a Jounin?

Sakura thinks it over briefly to herself. She looks at her friend as he watches her with a passion in his eyes and her stomach flutters a little. Yes. Yes, she could. The girl with pink hair now proudly wears a chunin headband, she cares little for her now mid length hair, she'd fought an Akatsuki member, fought in a war and the once scared girl that would shut her eyes at an oncoming attack has inherited her mentors fierce battle instincts and medical prowess.

"Okay," she says with a grin.

Naruto beams her the brightest smile.

Another month later, Sakura is promoted to Jounin.

* * *

A/N So Gaiden is over. What do I do with my life now? I can't deal with the last chapter of Gaiden. All the SSS family moments were so beautiful. I could talk forever about it lol any way, thank you to everyone who has followed/favorited this story thus far, and thank you to everyone for your patience. Please leave a review letting me know your thoughts!

P.S the chains that Inari gave Sasuke are the ones that we see him wearing on his poncho during The Last.


	12. Chapter 12

"Two of us will go in through the front. Sakura, you'll come with me. Risa and Daisuke will wait at the back exit."

The three jonin nod their heads in unison. "Roger."

Sakura suppresses her chakra flawlessly as she follows behind the team captain named Rizo. He's an average height shinobi with tan skin, buff build, and his brown hair spikes up wildly like weeds in a garden. His hazel eyes scan the area before giving her the signal to move forward.

She and Rizo run at top speed towards the entrance of the hideout. Rizo makes quick work of melting off the door hinges with Sakura following up by yanking the giant door frame off. They step through the threshold, guard up, eyes scanning for potential danger. The medical ninja flanks her captain as he peaks around a corner to check if the coast is clear. Her trained ears hear the _thwack_ of metal hitting flesh then a plopping sound. Tan index and middle fingers signal for her to move forward.

The duo run down a series of corridors until they reach their location. Opening the door quietly, Sakura begins to rummage through the desk that sits at the center of the room, she scans the bookshelves and finally checks the floorboards. She finds her target, a thick steel box which Intel told her team housed the stolen scroll from Konoha that contained the secrets of the necessary seals needed to put up a barrier around the Leaf Village. The pinkette opens the box easily with her monster strength and takes the scroll securing it in her flak jacket.

She nods to Rizo and the two of them make their way out the enemy's hideout with ease, only to encounter a wave of opponents already engaged in combat with the two other members of her squad.

"Shit! Sakura, back me up!" Her captain orders.

"I'm right behind you!"

The tan ninja pulls out a kunai running towards the fray. He takes out three enemy shinobi easily, his build giving him the advantage of overpowering whomever came his way. Sakura jumps into the air over her captain as he fights his opponents slamming her fist into the ground effectively stopping anymore people coming their way. The forest floor splits open sending the enemy flying in all directions, many of them get crushed in the debris that flies about.

"Take cover!" One of her team mates yells out.

Seconds later, viridian eyes recognize the hand seals for a katon, she quickly scans the area, flash stepping towards Daisuke and aiding him in taking out his opponent; the next breath has her lifting a wall of earth at the very last second effectively shielding herself and her team mate from the flames. She hears the agonizing screams of their opponents, burning alive from her villages Will of Fire, there is silence a minute later. The smoke clears and the battlefield is littered with bodies, but her team is alive and well.

"Are you hurt?" Sakura asks.

Daisuke removes his hand from his thigh showing the medical ninja his injury. Pink eyebrows furrow with concern, the wound was deep, it was a miracle he hadn't bled out yet. She immediately gets to work, green chakra seeping into his flesh, mending tissue, duplicating white blood cells and healing his broken bones. She hears him hiss in pain, but years of practice allows her to get the job done in less than five minutes. Sakura stands, and gives him a small smile as she extends out her hand to help him stand. He takes it, her small hand almost disappearing in his large one.

"Thank you, Sakura." He says.

She flinches at the words, remembering someone else thanking her. Daisuke puts a hand on her shoulder and it's only then that she realizes how close in proximity they are. Her skin feels hot, goosebumps rising to the surface, and it's a feeling she's been experiencing a lot lately, one that she doesn't want to dwell on.

With another mission success, her team heads back to Konoha. The trees flash by her in sea of different colors. This was her tenth A-ranked mission that she'd been assigned to since being promoted to jounin almost three months ago. Sakura feels a sense of pride whenever she turns in her mission reports to Kakashi as he nods his head and praises her for yet another job well done. In the beginning, it was rather challenging getting used to being the head of the Children's Health Clinic and being a valuable kunoichi of the Leaf, but she was always the type of person that adapted quickly.

Even though she was practically busy six days out of the week with a heavy workload, she was happy.

Her team doesn't arrive to Konoha until after the moon is at its highest peak and everyone is asleep as the night guards nod them hello as they walk through the gates. "Get some rest, Haruno, you did well." Rizo comments before jumping on top of the nearest roof making his way towards the Hokage tower.

She does just that. Entering her one bedroom apartment, she strips herself of her clothes and takes a quick shower and dries herself off before yanking on an a tank top and shorts. Her head hits her barely worn out pillow, as she tries to once again ignore the feeling of a man's skin against hers.

* * *

_'When are you coming back? There's a new ramen flavor that you need to come try!'_

Sasuke reads the almost illegible letter that he received from Naruto. His ancestral brother rambles about mundane things such as his _"freaking"_ boredom in the village, and that Kakashi is handing him off all his paperwork for _"Hokage training"_ and that its _"annoying"_. The Uchiha almost wants to smirk at the last detail, his friend would forever be a lazy loser, but he surmised that he himself wouldn't of enjoyed all the paperwork had he become Hokage.

Onyx eyes look up to the blue sky repeating his friends question over and over again in his mind. _'When are you coming back?'_ Sasuke doesn't exactly know the answer to that question. Almost half a year away from the village and the ex avenger has seen some different wonders.

His new, unclouded eyes, has seen the mountainous region of the Land of Stone, explored the ruins from a mysterious village that was once known to spin the strongest shinobi thread and seen the constellations from different tree tops. Sasuke has helped a handful of people since the Land of Waves, but his journey has mostly been about discovering the unknown. Despite going on various errands for Orochimaru, the dark haired shinobi never witnessed anything else besides confrontation and death. Traveling has allowed him to discover more to life than fighting and a part of him highly doubts that even if he were a reinstated shinobi of Konoha that he'd ever see any of what he has thus far.

Despite his newly discovered passion for traveling, Sasuke is still troubled. He knows the truth about the Uchiha massacre, he knew that he was the reincarnation of a powerful, ancient being, but he doesn't know what it is to _be_ an Uchiha. He thinks that although he somewhat grew up to be the son of the clan head, he knew little about the history aside from Indra and Madara. What is it to be an Uchiha besides just their curse of hatred? Is that all they are good for? Destruction and murder?

If he thinks about it, Itachi was the purest Uchiha to of ever been birthed. If Sasuke had been born first, he doesn't doubt that he would have probably went through with the coup. His dark eyebrows furrow at the thought. It seems that no matter which way he thinks about it, he'll forever be a man that is easily manipulated if he's told that it's for the greater good. This bothers him greatly, but he tries to not dwell too much on the what ifs and could have beens.

_There has to be more to us_ he thinks to himself. A small throbbing sensation begins to manifest itself at his temples, he tries to soothe the ache by rubbing at it with his index and middle finger. With a heavy sigh, Sasuke leans back against the tree taking that same two fingers and raising it to the sky followed by gently tapping himself against the forehead. His eyes close and his heart constricts a little at the thought of his brother. Steeling himself of his chaotic emotions, the last Uchiha makes the decision to head back to Konoha to find his answers.

He tries to not think about the fact that he could also use some company.

* * *

A week later, Sasuke walks through the gates of Konoha. Heading straight to the Hokage Tower, he briefly meets with Shizune who informs him that Kakashi was not in the office. Making his way out, Sasuke expands his chakra looking for his old sensei and idiot friend and he finds them at training ground ten watching a sparring match between Sakura and Sai. Naruto doesn't take his eyes off the combatants, instead just greeting him with a "yo". Kakashi doesn't acknowledge him either, just waves a hand in his direction. It was clear that they were very immersed in the spar.

Dark eyes observe his "replacement" as he fights the pink haired kunoichi, irritation still bubbles in his belly at the site of him. He watches the way Sai dodges kunai and back flips in mid air landing a few feet away from his opponent, immediately drawing snakes that come to life from the scroll and Sasuke is sure that the wannabe drew those just to irritate him. The black and white figures slither quickly towards Sakura, but she is fast and dispatches them easily. What she doesn't notice though is one of the snakes burying itself into the ground. A second later as she is about to run towards Sai, the snake emerges from below and wraps itself tightly around her ankles, tripping her.

Sasuke is surprised at Sai's speed in which he runs towards the kunoichi, but Sakura makes quick work of the binding snakes as she uses her strength to break free and blocks the white washed shinobi's sword. Sakura rolls over and side swipes Sai and seizes his blade as he tumbles to the ground, pointing the sharp object but a centimeter away from his face with a smirk. "I win," she says and Sai raises his hands in surrender.

"HA! Maybe next time, Sai!" Naruto practically yells in Sasuke's ear.

The duo make their way towards the spectators with Sakura not making any sort of eye contact with him. "She beat you just last week dickless."

The loud mouthed blonde sputters, "whatever."

As Sai and Naruto bicker, Sasuke notices that not once did Sakura look his away. Was she really still mad about the last time they saw each other? He notices the new flak jacket she throws on and is impressed with her new promotion. "I'll see you guys later," she announces as she deliberately walks passed him never saying a word.

His dark eyes narrow as they follow her movements and she doesn't bat an eyelash at his intense gaze which has him grinding his teeth together. He turns to his old sensei, "let's spar."

* * *

"You didn't have to come all the way here just to drop off these reports," Sakura says.

"Humph! I can't just come to visit?" Ino responds.

Her childhood friend smiles then sighs. "Sorry, I'm just a little irritated."

"About what?"

Green eyes harden and gives her blonde friend _the look._ "Oh.."

"I don't know what to do."

Baby blue eyes soften as she entangles her long fingers with her best friend. "Just talk to him."

Sakura squeezes her friends hand. "I don't even know how to talk to him."

"Sasuke, stop being such a jerk."

"Ino!"

Her friend giggles. "What? You can't deny that might be effective."

The pink haired woman sighs then giggles. "Yeah, maybe."

"You'll find a way, forehead."

Pink eyebrows furrow, eye twitching. "Thanks, pig."

Ten minutes later Sakura is waving goodbye to her friend. She makes her way to her kitchen table and begins to flip through the clinic reports from the children's hospital. Concern mars her face at one particular file, she'd have to keep a closer eye at one of the kids at her clinic. She's too immersed in her documents to hear the loud knocks on her door. Confused at the sudden intrusion, she gets up and makes her way to the door, opening it and being shocked at her visitor.

"Sasuke..."

"Sakura."

Her eyes close at the sound of his deep voice. Opening them slowly, she moves over and opens the door more in silent invitation. He steps through her threshold, the scent of fire and pine seeping into her core making her belly tight. She closes the door and makes her way back to the kitchen immediately getting to work at making some tea.

Sasuke follows behind her, noticing her tense posture. His eyes scan her house, it was a decently sized apartment with touches of the Sakura he remembers. She'd always been a person of sentimental value, her walls at littered with pictures of herself and friends, most of which he recognizes as the Rookie Nine. There's one picture in particular that he zeros in on, one of herself holding her diploma on the day of her jounin promotion.

He feels a presence next to him, noticing pink hair at the corner of his eye. She looks at the same picture, a small smile gracing her lips. "Those exams are no joke."

Sasuke raises a dark eyebrow at her. "What does it consist of?"

Green eyes widen, not expecting him to actually answer her back in any way, but she composes herself quickly. "The exam is a week long. If it wasn't for my experience as a doctor staying up hours on end, I'm not sure if I'd've made it."

He blinks then stares back to the photo. "You were never soft."

Sakura takes in a sharp breath. Did he just compliment her? Her heart is pounding at their proximity, head getting dizzy. She lets out the rest of her breath slowly, evenly as to not cause too much attention to herself. She turns and hands him his cup of tea which he takes. Their fingers brush lightly, and it sends prickles up her arm. Onyx and emerald connect for a second, Sakura searches his eyes, silently questioning why he was at her apartment.

He sighs, and steps back and away from her a little, sips his tea and stares up to her ceiling. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Sasuke pins her with an intense stare. "Back at Sound.."

Right. She'd almost forgotten. She hated that he was always able to break down her walls. Her eyes harden and fix him with a mild glare. "Why did you leave like that?"

The Uchiha sighs making him look almost tired. "I just had to."

"You can see yourself out." Sakura bites out as she begins to walk away, but Sasuke's hand grabs her wrist.

"Wait." He grinds his teeth together. "I didn't know ..." Sigh. "I didn't know that you did all that at the Forest of Death."

She doesn't bother turning to face him. "And that surprises you?"

Dark eyes look down to his hand holding her wrist, his eyebrows drawing together before letting go. "...No"

"So what's the problem?"

Sasuke runs his hand through his jet black hair. "I left because I don't want to cause you anymore harm."

It's a good thing that she was facing away from him so he wouldn't see the way her eyes widen. _Idiot_. "When will you accept that all I want is to make sure that you're okay?"

"You shouldn't care about my well being after everything."

Sakura turns to face him and shakes her head. "You will always be important to me, Sasuke. Let me be your friend."

The words ring in his ears, shaking him to his core a little more than he cares to admit. A part of him wants to reprimand her because she really shouldn't give a shit about him, but then, if that's what he wished then why was he standing in the middle of her living room? Sasuke could have easily ignored her and left without ever acknowledging her attitude towards him, but he didn't. It irritated him that she was giving him the silent treatment, but what irritated him even more was that he cared, and wasn't sure why. Sakura was always annoying, she talked and gave herself too much without ever asking for anything in return. He was always a selfish man, his actions in the past six years could attest to that, but if he thinks about it, Team Seven deserved more. She deserved more.

Could he really accept her friendship? He knows that if he goes down that road with her then certain things could happen. Sasuke isn't sure if he can commit, isn't sure if he could even be a good friend to her. Their _relationship_ was always complicated, but she was always consistent, always resilient and always _there_. If he admits it to himself, this was inevitable. He's traveled hundreds of miles and somehow his thoughts bring him to her. Sakura wasn't always on his mind, but every now and then he would see something that reminded him of her. Everywhere he went, he's reminded of the people who he has left behind, again, and who are waiting for him to come home.

His time away from Team Seven has taught him to be grateful. Maybe it was time to repay them, to accept Sakura's care for him; it was the least he could do. He thinks back on the image of her wrapping her frail arms around him and the way her small hand held his while he was in agony. The young Uchiha of then hadn't cared about pride or seeming weak, all he was during that unknown length of time was that he needed, perhaps even wanted, someone to be there for him. Shinobi or not, he was still a child at heart in that moment as his mothers face briefly flashed before his minds eye, but she wasn't there. Of course not. She was dead. But Sakura was there. She was always there for him, and it mattered in that one brief period of time. He can admit that to himself as a changed man now.

Sasuke makes his decision, he would try his best to earn a place by their sides again, and he would start with his most difficult, and shattered bond.

Sasuke gives Sakura a gentle smirk, coal eyes softening just a bit. "You're still annoying."

The pinkettes heart beats fast, understanding him. Everything would change from now on. Never in a million years did she think that she would get to this point with the ex avenger, but she's happy nonetheless, that he's finally going to allow her in. This would be a new beginning for them. She smiles at the thought.

"Not as annoying as you."

* * *

A/N Hi, I'm sorry for the long absence. Life really caught up with me, and the writers block was serious. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please tell me your thoughts! I purchased tickets to watch the Boruto movie in October and I'm so excited! Go to the **Eleven Arts** website for a complete list of cities that will be hosting the movie in the U.S.


	13. Chapter 13

Dull green eyes shut tight. "I can't get the screams out of my head."

"What else do you remember?"

"Darkness …" Hiccup. "I could _feel_ everyone's panic."

"Go on…"

"I … I wanted to _do_ something! All the grown-ups were running around with their kids and mine…"

Sakura places a gentle hand on the boy's slim arm. _Note, must regulate his eating._ "I'm sorry. I know that you're hurting, but it's not your fault."

Fledging eyes look up to his counselor. "But if I had payed more attention…"

The medic nin shakes her head, pink hair swaying. "They wanted you to grow up big and strong, to see the beautiful things this world has to offer."

"I'm scared…"

"Can I tell you a secret?"

The little boy nods his head. "I'm scared, too" Sakura whispers.

Emerald eyes widen. "But you're a ninja!"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that I don't get scared."

"But your fists go _boom!_" The child reenacts what the kunoichi assumes to be the sound of her fists shattering the earth and she giggles at his childish antics.

Smiling to him she says, "Yes but I'm only human and that's okay." Sakura runs her fingers gently through the boys auburn hair. "Being scared doesn't make you weak. It makes you strong."

"How?"

"If you work hard then you can protect the ones you love."

"Is that what you do?"

"Yes, every day."

The little boy looks down, knotting his fingers together. "I don't sleep very well sometimes."

Pink lips set into a thin line. The boy was much too young to be prescribed sleeping medication, it would probably be best if she just made him a special blend of herbal tea. She'd been working with this particular child for almost a year now and they've made significant progress. In the beginning; the little boy, Takeru was a mute - she believes this is post traumatic stress - from the war. It took Sakura four months to get him to talk, two months of gentle coaxing to calm him down during his tantrums, one month to get him to eat solid foods, and the rest is almost a blur. The pinkette couldn't even begin to count the number times she has gone to her office and cried after a therapy session with the little boy with grief stricken emerald eyes and fiery orange hair. Today's session hit her a little harder than usual as his words ring loudly in her mind, reminding her so much of the little girl she used to be.

"Don't worry, I'll make you something special so you can sleep better. Okay?" Sakura murmurs gently.

Takeru nods his head and manages to muster a small smile for her which has the med nin intake a sharp breath. She smiles, pearly whites showing through glossy lips as she ruffles his hair affectionately, taking his hand and walking him back to his dorm room. She waves him goodbye, promising him a delivery later, she closes the door and swiftly walks to her office.

Sakura closes the door to her private office and sinks into the chair, hands covering her peach skin as she cries. Her heart constricts at the pure 'anguish' she could still see in Takeru's face, despite the months of progress they've made, he was still very troubled. She feels angry when she thinks about the circumstances that lead to his despair and her medics coat has never felt heavier draped around her shoulders. Tsunade repeated to her over and over again that she couldn't save everyone, and Sakura accepted that ... sometimes. Always one to care too much for the world and never enough for herself, the rosette couldn't help but blame herself just a little bit.

Her heart picks up in pace a little at the memories of the war, her skin prickling with goosebumps, sweat forming on her brow and no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that she was okay; the truth was that she wasn't.

Yes, she was Haruno Sakura. Legendary apprentice of one of the Sannin, inheritor of the Creation Rebirth, a solider for Konoha against the greatest evil to walk the earth; and although all these things should fill her with pride and strength, the truth was that she was traumatized. Sakura knows - from the many beat downs she's received from her shishou - that when the time comes to fight, she will raise her fists and destroy, but Sakura's soul was born sheltered and pure, not like Sasuke and Naruto's.

The Leaf's walking Sakura blossom was a girl that was brought up by the typical over protective parents; the ones that tease you in front of your friends, that fix your messy hair in public and berate you for leaving your shoes a shambled mess at the front door. Her male team mates all had dark pasts, but the closest thing to darkness she ever experienced was the depression she went through at Sasuke's defection. She wonders how they cope. How can Naruto smile like a thousand suns despite all the beatings he's taken, how can Sasuke travel like a lone solider, seemingly calm and collective? Sakura is strong, but she still has her moments of frailty, but she's accepted a long time ago that these moments of brief weakness no longer make her who she was - they simply make her human - and that's okay.

She feels a migraine begin to settle at her temple, a heaviness in her chest at the thought of her boys, the war and all the lost lives. Rising from her perch, she goes to her private bathroom and rinses her face, drying it afterwards then makes her way out her office and into the busy streets of Konoha.

* * *

Sharrinegan eyes scan the ancient stone tablet. Sasuke is currently at his family's old, secret hideout that was once under the Uchiha estate, but Konoha has always been plagued with misfortune and so the Uchiha Compound is no more. His memories, however took him to ruins of his childhood home, turned nightmare, and he was able to access the old archives below. The stone tablet that he'd overheard his father speak to Itachi about once a upon a time is cracked, but he pieces it back together like a puzzle as he reads a scripture that seems vaguely familiar.

The Uchiha treasure goes on about their history, never going as far back as Indra, but rather talks about Madara and Hashirama. The tablet explains in further detail the theory of the Curse of Hatred and Sasuke almost snorts at the idea of _love_ being a motive for his clans destruction, and yet wasn't that the very same emotion that fueled him from the very beginning? His love for his mother, father, uncle and aunt; for all his kin was what motivated him to pursue and kill Itachi and then when he later on found out the truth, that exact emotion caused him to practically help declare war.

Love was what brought Madara to be the man he was. His undeniable loyalty to his brother and his twisted sense of pride of the Uchiha clan caused him to simply put it, go insane. For all the famed prowess and ability to make men fall to their knees, his clan was nothing short of greedy.

They were absolutely mad and it's this small revelation that Sasuke finds himself quietly thanking Naruto for - literally - knocking some sense into him.

In light that everything has come to pass, the last Uchiha truly wants to make things better. A small part of him says that his actions are for the sole purpose of getting people to shut the fuck up about his families name because it takes everything in him to not burn them alive. These villagers knew _nothing_ and had _no right_ to spit on the Uchiha name. His knuckles turn white at the sheer force his fists make against his palm as he recollects on some of the things he remembers strangers would whisper. An almost sadistic smirk appears on his face at the way they cower when they recognize who he is and although he tries to be a better man, the darkness in which he so willingly plunged into follows him into the light.

_Do not let love sway thee. It is unnecessary. Let your eyes be the only source of truth you seek._

"Use my eyes?"

_Find the ancient temple beyond Konoha in Shikoro Touge passed the mountains. There you will find solace._

"Tch. What a bunch of bullshit."

Sasuke's chakra flares and the torches flame is put out.

* * *

It's a little after seven o'clock when Sasuke hears a knock at his door, his eyebrow arching a little at the fact that the dobe actually knocked. Rising from his bed, he makes his way out his bedroom and out into the living room and opens the door.

"Yo, Sasuke!"

The Uchiha almost flinches. "What? Don't yell." He growls.

"Let's go get that ramen I told you about!" Naruto all but ignores his friends' threat.

"I don't suppose I can refuse."

"Basically."

With a sigh, Sasuke closes the door to his apartment and walks with his idiot friend to Ichiraku.

When they make it to the infamous ramen stand, Teuchi looks as though he is beginning to close up shop. With a regretful look, he tells his number one customer that he indeed was closing early today.

"But why!?" Naruto shrieks.

"Ayame is due today. A messenger just came by that she's in labor, but it'll take a few hours since she's not completely dilated. I wanted to be there just in case."

"Aww! A little ramen baby!"

Despite his respect and fondness for the blonde, Teuchi sneers at his most loyal patron. "Don't call the baby that."

Naruto raises his hands. "Sorry sorry!" He scratches the back of his head sheepishly. "Don't suppose we could have some to go?"

The old man sighs and crosses his arms over his broad chest. "Fine, but only because Sakura is helping deliver the baby."

With a wide grin and an elbow jab to Sasuke's ribs, Naruto helps Teuchi pack up their to-go ramen order. The two legendary shinobi walk in the direction of the Konoha Hospital as the village hero waves goodbye to his ramen hero who had to go pick up a few things before seeing his daughter. When they arrive, Naruto leads the way to Sakura's office which he all but breaks into. He settles the box on her desk and unpacks the contents, careful to not spill a single drop of precious broth. The ramen enthusiast makes himself comfortable on her couch and begins to eat.

"Dobe."

"Hmm?"

"What was the point in coming here if you aren't going to wait for Sakura to eat?"

"Sakura'll probably be a while. You should eat before your food gets cold."

A brief memory of Mikoto flashes before Sasuke in which he could distinctly remember her scolding him for starting his meal before everyone was at the table. The sound of the door opening breaks him from his flashback as a metal cart stacked with files is rolled into the office by a brown haired nurse.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here. I just came to drop off some files, I'll be out in a second."

The unknown aid wheels the cart towards the wooden desk and begins to unload the trolley. One stack. Two stacks. Three stacks. Four stacks. All of them the thickness of a dictionary are neatly placed on the desk. The nurse doesn't bother to make any eye contact with the men in the room, her nerves getting the best of her as she scurries out the office.

Slurp. "Man, I don't know how Sakura does it."

"Ah."

"I don't know what could be worse, Hokage paperwork or elite board member."

Sasuke raises a sharp eyebrow and Naruto points to the pinkettes desk with his chopsticks, his mouth too full of food to give a response. Onyx eyes follow his direction and indeed on their female team mates desk sits a wooden plaque with Haruno Sakura's name elegantly written on gold, underneath her scripted name says, _Honorary Board Member_.

"She didn't want to be the director of the hospital cause she wanted to continue going on missions."

_'She's very accomplished.' _

"Ah."

"I wish I'd see her more though." Naruto mutters.

Sasuke doesn't comment, just listens to his friend. "She's always super busy with things in the hospital or at the kid's clinic."

_'Children's clinic?'_

The blonde shinobi sighs. "So what's up with you?"

Dark eyes shift from his friend to the large panel window. "Still looking for answers." He replies.

"To what?"

"Did Otsutsuki tell you anything about Ashura's life?"

Blue eyes narrow at the dark haired shinobi. "...No. What's this about, Sasuke? Don't tell me we have to kick another one of their clan members' asses."

"No. It's just -"

The door opens and both men turn their heads spotting Sakura walk through the threshold. She walks past them and slumps against her chair in a way someone would say would be very unlady like.

"You look tired," Naruto blurts.

Green eyes shift to the right glaring at her friend. "If that's your subtle way of saying that I look like shit -"

"No! You look great!" The blonde all but shrieks.

Ever since the war, Naruto still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Sakura was even scarier than before she unlocked the Yin seal. He'd thought to himself that he was never going to talk back to her _ever_ again, but it seems that no matter what he says, his back still sweats whenever she pins him with her glare as her voice lowers an octave.

Women were so complicated.

"So what brings the two of you to my office? Don't tell me one of you needs to be healed."

"We just wanted to see you." The jinchuriki answers.

Sakura snorts and looks at Sasuke's direction. His eyes were trained on the wall seemingly in thought, obviously not hearing what his friend had just said.

"How's Ayame?"

"How do you know about – oh, I see." Feminine hands reach for the – now warm – container on her desk, opening it and inhaling the semi salty broth inside. "Thanks for this."

"Those are a lot of files, Sakura. When are you ever going to have a day off?"

The rosette shrugs as she chews her ramen, swallowing a moment after. Whipping the corner of her mouth she smirks at her whiskered friend. "Those files need to be updated for the routine shinobi physical examinations."

Naruto's spine straightens up and if Kurama's ears were visible on his person, Sakura was sure that they would perk up. The kyubbi vessel _hated_ this time of the year and he knows that his pink haired friend found his agony rather amusing. Despite having a best friend who was a renowned medic in Fire Country that still didn't mean that he enjoyed the annual check-ups. Come to think of it …

"Hey, bastard when was the last time that you had a physical?"

Onyx and azure connect. "I don't need one."

"And what makes you so sure about that?" Sakura questions.

"He's totally scared."

"Like you're not? Don't think I'll show you the same leniency as Lady Tsunade."

Sasuke's eyes close, his temples vein throbbing. This was a waste of his time he thinks to himself. He needed answers to his questions and although he had told himself that he would try to mend the damaged bonds he had with his childhood enigmas, he needed to decipher the stone tablet first. There was no denying that he _felt something _about the members of Team Seven, but the Uchiha needed to find himself first. Perhaps he'd entertain them next time.

Stepping away from the wall - he hadn't felt comfortable enough to sit on any of Sakura's furniture - he takes his now cold ramen and gives to Naruto.

"Eh? Don't you want -"

"Not hungry," Sasuke quips as he makes his way to the door.

Viridian eyes narrow. "I thought we'd come to an understanding, Sasuke."

The dark haired shinobi looks back and regards his female companion, her posture mirroring an expression he is all too familiar with as her fingers are laced near her lips, regarding him with a cool stare. "I'll be back soon," he says to her as he makes his way out her office.

Sakura doesn't see him again for another three days.

* * *

A/N As per usual, I want to sincerely thank everyone who has left reviews, followed/favorited this story thus far. I hope to continue to draw all your attentions with future chapters. I hope you guys enjoyed this little insight on Sasuke and Sakura's lives respectfully as individuals, though I'm sure many of you were anticipating more from them together, but let me assure you all that will happen with time. I think it's important to show their individual struggles with life because (i personally) feel like it's relevant with regards to how they will act with another in the future. SasuSaku are adults now, you know? Now that they have the freedom to actually _live_ so to speak, they can work on truly finding themselves. I apologize for any grammatical errors that you may have encountered, I will come back to revise when I am able, but I just really wanted to get this up for you guys.

Please be sure to leave a review telling me your thoughts, it'd be much appreciated.


	14. Chapter 14

The weather is crisp tonight in Konoha as the fall season slowly begins to appear as the trees fade from luscious green to copper brown. The tree branches sway gently in the wind, leaves flowing to and fro midair before dropping to the ground in a gentle whisper. The sky is clear, a few spotty clouds here and there do not mask the brilliance of the stars, and the moon glows a bit brighter than usual.

Sakura takes a deep breath of fresh air, the coolness of the wind revitalizing her from the inside, waking her up just enough so that the walk home is bearable. It's a little after midnight as she closes the hospital gate behind her, a well-deserved rest waiting for her after a 24-hour shift. Walking the cobblestone path that she's committed to memory, she begins to walk home, the clack of her heels being the only source of noise in the sleeping vicinity.

She gets to the third block, makes a right and finds herself shocked to see a dark figure who is un-doubtly Sasuke, waiting under a street light. The echo of her heels dies away for a moment, she's too surprised to see him there waiting for her, but her steps resume a heartbeat later as she makes her way over to him. He's wearing his usual thin black cloak, the purple sash that usually adorns his forehead is gone making his hair an inky wave of a mess in the wind. Sakura idly wonders what he would look like if he ever let it grow out, her cheeks warming a little at the thought that he'd probably look even more handsome, if that were even possible.

"What're you doing here?" She asks him as she stands at an arm's length away from him.

"I said I'd be back." He answers.

"Did you just get in?"

"Ah."

The kunoichi bites the inside of her cheek not really knowing how to respond. "I'm on my way home, do you need anything?"

Sakura raises a pink eyebrow. "Are you okay –"

"I'll walk you home."

In that instant, a presence that Sakura hadn't been completely in tune with since her preteen years suddenly bursts to life once again. Inner Sakura awakens, smashes through the wall of maturity that her adult self-created, and yells at the top of her intangible lungs, _WHAT!?_ Her second conscious has the medic nin flinching at the sheer intensity of her excitement, but despite the years of disconnect, the rosette hadn't forgotten how to mask her Inners reaction in real life situations.

"You really don't have to," the kunoichi responds.

There's a twitch to Sasuke's lips that Sakura isn't sure if she imagined that has her heart pounding because she really didn't want Sasuke to see her as the crazy fan girl that she used to be, but if he did see a glimpse of her old self he doesn't comment as he turns in the direction she was going and begins to walk ahead of her. She's stunned for a moment, her eyes zeroing in on his broad back. He stops a few feet away from her, turning his head to the side just a bit, his long fringe hiding his eyes but his posture says, _are you coming or not?_ Snapping out of her stupor, Sakura follows Sasuke down the cobble path.

* * *

The next morning Sakura wakes up to purple and semi blood orange skies, the stars slowly dwindling down as they're being concealed by the slowly rising sun. She stretches as a joint or two pops and makes her way to her bathroom to brush her teeth. Going back to her bedroom, she throws on thin training pants, a sports bra and her sneakers. Tying her hair up in a ponytail she grabs a fruit from her kitchen counter quickly eating it and heads out the door for a run.

She starts with a light jog around her neighborhood, waking up before the village has its advantages since the streets are deserted. She passes her local bakery, the smell of fresh pastries making her tummy growl and she makes a mental note to herself to stop by afterwards and pick up a few rolls. Sakura runs passed the Yamanaka shop, the library, turns left and runs passed a few clothing boutiques, turns right and spots a new weaponry store; she keeps running for another mile until all that's left are warehouses and she's soon on the outskirts of the village near the training grounds.

Sakura runs to training ground five, the earth beneath her worn from Lee's laps around the area, but she follows his path upping her pace. Her heart begins to pump against her chest, her muscles going from warm to hot as they work harder. Sweat forms on her brow, the ends of her hair getting slick from moisture. The pinkette runs and runs and on her fourth lap around, she begins to think about her interaction with Sasuke.

Nothing much had happened. They'd walked along side each other in silence, and although it felt awkward to be around him, she couldn't deny the joy she felt at seeing him in the village again. He never once looked at her, but she could tell that something was on his mind, but she didn't feel comfortable enough to ask him what it was. When they arrived to her apartment building, Sakura had thanked him, he nodded and he walked back to his own home or whatever. No matter how much she cares for him, Sakura is not entirely sure how she should approach him. Sasuke was a mystery to her and sometimes when she looks at him, she sees the boy who laughed maniacally – filled with hatred – but then she looks at him now and all she sees is a man lost in his thoughts trying to find himself.

In all honesty, Sakura was terrified of Sasuke. A part of it has to do with the attempt that he made on her life, his chidori screeching loudly in her ears, but she'd asked for it didn't she? Her heart constricts at the memory, at her selfishness for even thinking that she had the right to take away his life in what she believed would be his salvation. Another part of her, the less fickle part, is afraid of him because her feelings for him would probably never die away and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

When she was a genin, the supposed C-rank mission turned A-rank at the Land of Waves had opened up her eyes and made her realize that her giddiness for Sasuke was more than just a crush and she hadn't really understood the intensity of her feelings back then. The tears she shed for the young Sasuke and all the times after that came from a place deep within her that spoke volumes to her soul. She truly would be lost if she ever lost the boy – now man – with coal eyes and midnight hair, but the day she was informed that he had joined Akatsuki, the news broke her heart into a million pieces because despite all the progress she'd made with Tsunade, it was at that moment that she felt utterly powerless and didn't know if she had the strength to bring him out of that darkness – both physically and emotionally.

Being the accomplished woman that she is today, those feelings – that love – is still there, but God did she feel lost. How does one bridge the gap from being apart after so many years? How long will it take for her to be perfectly comfortable with giving her back to him without the paranoia that he'd strike her neck or that the brilliant blue flash of his jutsu would rip through her? Sakura thinks about the genjutsu that he'd placed her under after the war and it puzzles her that he'd do such a thing to her. Did he forget that she wasn't easily susceptible to those illusions or did he simply not want to waste precious chakra on doing away with her or …

_Poke_

Sakura stops mid run and runs her fingers across her forehead. _Thank you. I'll see you when I'm back._ Pink eyebrows furrow at the memory, her frustration growing. _What does he mean by thank you?_ Shaking her head, the rosette continues her run, pushing away her chaotic thoughts of the lone Uchiha.

* * *

"So did you find anything?" Naruto grunts as he throws a jab towards his spiritual brother.

Sasuke dodges and crouches low to swipe at his opponent's legs, "I'm not sure."

The two legends jump away from one another simultaneously as they throw a kunai towards one another. The clank of metal ringing in their ears as the sharp objects make direct contact with one another and fall to the ground. Azure and onyx stare at one another, the two shinobi studying each other, waiting for either to strike, but it's Naruto who sighs and straightens from his hunched defensive position.

"Why did you ask me about Ashura?"

Sasuke mirrors his friend's posture, stuffing his hands into his pant pockets. "The Curse of Hatred has been in my clan for a long time."

The forest is silent, almost as if it recognized the two powerful beings standing in the middle of the training grounds, showing them respect by calming down the wind.

"I want to know if there's a way to stop it."

Blonde eyebrows furrow, blue eyes darkening with determination as Naruto walks towards his friend. He places a tan hand on Sasuke's shoulder, his eyes shining with understanding. "You already have."

The Uchiha doesn't seem convinced.

Naruto laughs. "With you being here in Konoha, doesn't that show that you've stopped the curse?"

"I'm only here because you're persistent."

The Jinchuriki flashes a brilliant smile and punches his friends shoulder. "Damn straight! But you know you missed us."

There's a shift in the air, Sasuke's chakra flaring a bit at his friends teasing. "Tch."

The two rivals start up their spar again and Sasuke never confirms nor denies Naruto's statement.

* * *

Sakura finishes cutting up the last tomato that she had in her fridge and adds it to the salad. Checking the udon that she had cooking – she refused to make ramen – she lets down her hair from its top knot and brushes her pink locks with her fingers as she tries to make herself look presentable, even though she was alone in her apartment. Ten minutes pass by and her dinner is ready, sitting down at her dinner table ready to feast. She takes a couple bites of her food when she hears a knock on her door, sighing, she stands and heads over to see who her visitor is.

Sasuke stands at her doorway, his face completely relaxed when Sakura opens the door. As per usual, she smiles and lets him inside. "Not that I'm happy to see you, but this is a surprise."

"Hn. I came to ask you something."

"Okay?"

They stand awkwardly in the small hallway that leads to her front door, their bodies close enough to one another that Sakura could feel the heat radiating off of her visitor. She shifts a little uncomfortably, turning a second later to lead them to her living room. Sitting on her sofa, she crosses her legs and motions for him to sit across from her. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, thank you."

Seeing Sasuke sit in her living room is still new to Sakura, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering when he sits and takes a posture that looks so effortlessly comfortable. There's a brief silence between the two ninja. Onyx eyes studying the woman before him, focusing on the Yin seal on her delicate forehead, he thinks about how far she has come since they were genin and he knows that he can put what little trust he had in general in her.

"I'm leaving again," he says.

This of course doesn't surprise the pinkette, but that doesn't mean that she's immune to the sadness. "I wish you'd stay …"

The Uchiha closes his eyes and sighs. _I know._ "You know I can't."

Sakura bites her bottom lip, her heart skipping a beat at the confession she just blurted out. "Redemption." She whispers.

Was it really just for the redemption? Sasuke has been away from the village for a long time since he's started his journey and he's seen many things with his new unclouded eyes, but if he were completely honest with himself, he didn't feel like he could stand living in Konoha for such a long time. This wasn't his home and he isn't sure if it will ever be his home, not after all that he's discovered. He wonders if Sakura knows the truth about everything, if Naruto or Kakashi ever sat her down and told her, but he figures that they haven't because maybe then she would understand why he just couldn't be in the village for too long. There's a part of him that wants to tell her. His eyes see her and the way she looks at him, he sees the love that she tries to contain for him, but he can also see the way she looks tired – the almost defeated look when he announces that he's leaving again.

How long will this woman wait for him? When will she understand that he is no good? That her love for him is a waste because he can never be the kind of man that she needs or deserve. Maybe if he were more open with her with these kinds of matters then he wouldn't feel like he owes her a debt that he'll never be able to pay.

"This isn't my home, Sakura."

Pink eyebrows furrow. "The village isn't what it used to be."

Her response surprises him a little. Maybe she did know. "So you know the truth?" But when he asks her this, he notices that way her brows crease even more with obvious confusion and it's the only response he needs. "Forget it."

"Stop it."

Sasuke raises a finely shaped brow, his eyes following her movements when he gets up from her seat and walks around the small coffee table that separates them. Her hand easily pushes the massive textbooks on the table aside, scrolls falling onto the rug as she sits down on the table right in front of him at eye to eye level. He's a little taken aback at her close proximity, his perfect vision allows him to make out the smoothness of her pale skin, the small beauty mark on her left cheek that he's never noticed, and the way her long lashes tangle at the corners. He thinks to himself that Sakura has definitely grown over the years and can admit to himself quietly that she is very beautiful; the tips of his ears burning a bit at the thought of even seeing this girl – now woman – of his childhood in such a way.

Sakura's hands reach out to him almost as if she wanted to take ahold of his hands that're slack between his legs, but she stops herself not sure how he would react to the physical contact. "Please …" Her eyes leave his face, taking a chance she summons the courage to place her hands on top of his as she looks back up to him.

Onyx eyes stare straight into emerald, and Sasuke doesn't need his Sharingan in order to notice the different shades of green that make up her eyes. He knows what she means and what she wants from him, but it's hard opening up about his demons and yet he made a vow to try didn't he? There's also a small part of him that doesn't want to tell her the truth simply because he doesn't want to turn her world upside down. Sakura was a devoted kunoichi of Konoha and although he's sure that she wouldn't retaliate against the village, he doesn't want to shatter the happy memories she's formed throughout her life. He knows all too well what it's like to have someone tell you that everything you once believed in was a lie, a sham, and Sasuke's thinks that he has no right to turn her world upside just for the sake of getting her to understand him better.

He feels her fingers thread with his as she brings their joined hands closer to her gaining his attention. Her hands are small and warm in his large ones. Callous against callous. They are shinobi, but more importantly in this very moment they were simply Sasuke and Sakura – two people who've known each other for years and that have shared a complicated bond that neither of them quite understood. His mother once told him that God places a select few of people in your life that will help mold you and at the time, Sasuke took that as a way of affirmation that his mother was the only beacon of light in his life. She taught him how to be kind – when he wasn't being a brat or a show off at the academy – but when she was taken from him that light was extinguished.

Now he looks at the woman before him, Mikoto's philosophy coming to life once again all these years later, and maybe this is who needs to help shape him now.

Taking a deep breath, he tells Sakura everything.

* * *

Sunlight pierces through the living room window, dark eyes opening heavily trying to get accustomed to the brightness. Sasuke sits up from the couch taking in his surroundings and notices that Sakura is not in the living room. Standing, he makes his way over to her kitchen seeing what he assumes to be left over food on her kitchen table, he must've came over last night while she was in the middle of dinner. Expanding his senses, the dark haired ninja finds her down the hall in what is probably her bedroom, but his trained ears pick up the closing of a door along with the _pat pat pat_ of bare feet on the hardwood floor. She turns from the corner and into the living room dressed in a black midi skirt and a long sleeved shirt with her ninja heels held in her left hand and her hair up in an effortless bun and his stomach flips a little at the site of her.

"Hey, good morning."

"You should have woken me up," Sasuke says though he's a little relieved that she didn't because after the emotional roller coaster from last night, he wasn't sure if he would've made it back to his apartment.

"I'm sorry." _For everything that's happened to you._

Sasuke runs his fingers through his hair and sighs. Even though he told Sakura the truth about Itachi, there's a bitter taste on his tongue because although he is trying to be more open with her, it doesn't change the fact that he doesn't like people seeing him so vulnerable and it makes him want to run. His Uchiha pride burns within him almost as if it were taunting him for having a moment of weakness causing irritation to bubble in his chest. He hears the _clack_ of Sakura's heels hitting the floor, dropped in careless abandonment as she walks over to him, her hand grasping his once again and squeezing.

"I have a shift at the hospital in half an hour. I haven't forgotten that you needed to ask me something."

Right. He'd almost forgotten.

"Naruto mentioned that you're able to make solider pills."

"Yes."

"I'd like to request a batch, if possible."

"Sure. Come by my office later, I'll take care of you."

_Always_

* * *

A/N Sorry for the long awaited update. I'll be pretty busy over the next few months so i'll try to update as frequently as I can. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review letting me know your thoughts.

A/N _Edited_ 10/14/15


	15. Chapter 15

He's throwing shurikin at a beat up target in training ground three when a small cloud of smoke appears to his right. He raises a dark eyebrow when the smoke clears revealing a small brown pug he remembers from his youth.

"Yo. Long time, kid." Pakkun barks as he waves a small paw.

"Ah."

The ninja dog raises a hind leg and scratches the back of his floppy ears. "Talkative as ever. You haven't changed a bit."

"What does Kakashi want?"

Pakkun tilts his head sideways and sighs, his small hitai-ate reflecting in the sun. "What makes you think he sent me?"

Sasuke doesn't respond, his patience wearing thin at the dogs sarcastic tone. He wasn't the only one who "_hadn't changed_."

"Sakura wanted me to tell you that she's performing surgery. She won't be able to see you until after ten."

Since when was she able to summon his old sensei's ninja hounds? "Hn."

"You wouldn't happen to have a dog biscuit would you?" Pakkun asks with a wag of his tail.

Sasuke's eye twitches in annoyance, "No."

The ninja hound bows his head in disappointment and sighs. Standing on his legs he turns his back away from the Uchiha. "You're lucky I like you brats so much." He mutters just before he disappears in a cloud of smoke.

"Tch."

* * *

It's 9:59pm when Sasuke knocks on Sakura's door. He hears the muffled invitation on the other side, turning the door knob he enters her office. He finds her sitting at her desk, legs propped up on top of it with a massive amount of files littered everywhere and in front of her; a bottle of sake.

"You got my message," she says rather robotically.

"Ah."

"Please sit," she motions with her hand towards her office couch.

He doesn't move. Sasuke can clearly see the fatigue in the pink haired woman, he surmised that whatever surgery she must have performed had to of been difficult. Just when he's about to suggest he come back another time, he hears her sigh as she gets up from her seat walking over to him with the bottle and a cup, her lab coat floating gently behind her.

It was still rather strange seeing her this way, dressed up in medic's attire. He remembers her mostly in shinobi gear, kunai pouch strapped to her leg, tattered leather gloves; that is the Sakura he knows. Or at least, the one he's used to _seeing_. He can't really say that he _knows_ her since he of course has been away for the most part of her life. The rosette sits on the couch and taps the spot next to her in silent invitation. He accepts, but he keeps at least an arm's length away from her, his uneasiness showing in the rigidness of his shoulders. Sakura pours herself a generous portion of sake, the alcohol almost flows over the rim of the small cup as she carefully brings it to her pink lips, throwing it back.

Dark eyes observe the way she visibly relaxes next to him. She turns towards him, tired green eyes looking straight at him. "Want some?"

He shouldn't but she's already pouring a cup for him and handing it to him before he can decline. Their fingers brush against one another as he takes the cup from her and drinks. The alcohol goes down smoothly, settling in his stomach, it begins to warm him from the inside. The tenseness of his shoulders begins to melt away, but he's still ever alert, ever guarded but at least he feels ... better.

When he hands the cup back to her, there's a stupid grin on her face. "Good right?"

"Ah."

Sakura chuckles and puts the bottle down by her feet. "How are you?" She asks.

Onyx eyes narrow slightly. He knew what she was referring to and the last thing he wanted from her was pity. To be honest, Sasuke wasn't even sure why he even told Sakura everything, but a part of him is a little relieved that she now knows the truth.

She waves her hands dismissively in front of her. "Never mind. I'm sorry – it's just …" She sighs heavily. "I'm still trying to take it all in." Her eyes dart away from his, focusing on the empty space between them. "I think I would have done the same thing if I were you."

"No, you wouldn't."

Pink eyebrows furrow as she looks back up to him. "Why not?"

_Because you're too forgiving. You're not corrupt. _"You're not that kind of person."

"Love makes you do things."

There's an intensity that he can see in her, and a part of him believes that maybe if their roles were reversed perhaps she would cause mayhem, but not as cruelly as he. There's an uneasiness to her, something that he observes when her eyes widen a moment later and she looks away from him again and pours herself another cup of sake. For once, he doesn't push her reasoning aside because, yes it was the love for his family that brought him to darkness.

Sakura stands and walks over to her desk drawer and pulls out a small pouch handing it to Sasuke. "Here are the pills you requested."

"Thank you."

"My shift is pretty much over. I'll walk out with you."

There's a heavy silence between the two shinobi as they walk out her office, and Sakura is surprised when Sasuke holds the door open for her, a small blush dusting her cheeks at his chivalrous manner. They walk side by side as she hugs her sweater close to her body. There's something that weighs heavily on her mind, something that she feels like she needs to get off her chest, but she isn't sure how her companion will take it.

"I'm sorry for what happened in the Land of Iron," she blurts.

"You don't have to apologize."

"But I tried to kill you …"

Dark brows furrow, his head tilting in her direction as he makes eye contact with her, "I made the first move."

Her breath catches a little at the look in his eyes. _He really is sorry … _"I should have been a better friend to you." She steps in front of him suddenly angry. "That's no excuse for what I did."

"Why do you say that?"

Sakura bites her lip, unsure if she really wants to answer his question. "Because -"

_Poke_

"Thank you."

She blinks, her heart beating erratically in her chest. "Why do you always say that to me?"

Sasuke smirks at her gently. "I'll tell you next time." With a single hand he weaves a simple sign and disappears in a flurry of autumn leaves.

The next morning, she finds out that he's gone again.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Sakura is assigned a month long mission to Snow along with Shikamaru and Lee. Plans have been approved in order to negotiate with the village to try to acquire the kind of technology they lacked in her youth. She makes her way out the Hokage tower to her apartment to begin packing and bumps into Naruto on the way.

"Hey, haven't seen you in a while." He waves.

Sakura puts her hands on her hips, leaning forward, a playful sneer on her face. "I've been around. You're the one who's been MIA."

Naruto laughs nervously and scratches the back of his neck. "Sorry, Kakashi has me reading a shit ton of documents."

_I don't know how long they've known._

Anger and irritation suddenly flows through Sakura. She grabs Naruto's wrist with a little more force than she intended and leads them off the main road and into an alley. She stops with her back facing him as she tries to calm herself.

_My guess is since Iron._

_"_Why?"

Naruto stares at his friend confused, patiently waiting for her to continue. A pregnant pause, she turns and faces him, a hurt expression on her face and it unsettles him because she's never looked at him that way before.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth about Itachi?" She angrily whispers.

Azure eyes widen. For a moment he's at a loss for words, thoroughly shocked but there's an ugly feeling in his stomach when he sees the flash of betrayal in his friend's eyes. He wanted to tell Sakura, he really did, but the circumstances in which he was informed weren't during the best of times. They needed to verify the information, at least that's what Kakashi advised them to do.

Voice low he responds, "I wasn't even sure if it was true." His eyes harden at the memory. "Madara approached us and told us."

Shock registers across the rosette's face. "Madara? But why?"

"I don't know. I wanted to tell you. Everything happened so quickly after that."

"I understand, but -" Sakura's hands ball up into fists. "You could've told me!" She angrily hisses. "Maybe then I wouldn't of ..." Her eyes lower as she buries her face in her palms.

Naruto makes his way over to Sakura, strong arms encircling his best friend in a tight hug. "I'm sorry. You won't be kept out of the loop for anything else again."

"All this time ... I still can't believe it." She wraps her arms around her friend, nails digging into his orange jacket. Tears pool at the corner of her eyes, the despair of what happened to the man she loves effecting her more than it probably should.

Understanding her pain, Naruto brings her closer, comforting her with his warmth. Relief washes over him, along with guilt.

Sakura untangles herself from her friend, looking up at him with misty eyes. "Thank you."

His forehead creases with confusion, brows drawn together. "For what?"

The pink haired woman draws away from her friends embrace. "For keeping the promise..." She averts her gaze, shame and regret entangling itself around her heart. "Despite telling you that you didn't need to keep it anymore after I told you ... You know."

Naruto definitely knew what she was referring to. What happened that dark, grey day with snow gently falling around them, the cold biting at their noses as she confessed her (fake) love for him; had to of been the lowest points for them both. He wasn't angry at her, hurt, but not angry. What really pissed him off was that she was lying to herself and all for the sake of shouldering the burden that was once Uchiha Sasuke.

His chest constricts at the memory, Sai's cryptic message chilling him to the core more than the freezing snow. He remembers imagining his team as Genin, recalling the bonds they all had only for it shatter into a million pieces, his bestest of friends turning against one another. He'd hyperventilated at the time, the emotional distress of almost losing his extended kin to corruption finally catching up to him.

For too long, Naruto had tried to do everything on his own when it came down to Sasuke simply because he knew that he was the only one that could take him head on. Now as a man, he thinks that maybe he should have had a little more faith in his female team mate. Sakura was strong, he honestly thought she was the strongest of them all, not just in strength but emotionally. Maybe she would have known what to do, could have empathized with Sasuke more had she of known.

Warm hands cup her face. "I'll always be here for you. I don't hate you for what happened."

Sakura lets out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Relief washing over her, but she'd never fully forgive herself for playing with her friends emotions. Small hands bunch up the front of his orange jacket, standing on her tiptoes because he was so incredibly tall now, she pecks him softly on the lips.

"Thank you," she whispers.

* * *

Snow is just as beautiful, if not more, than she remembers. If she wasn't so used to the hot climate of Fire Country, Sakura thinks that she would consider moving to Snow. There's a rare beauty to the country, crystal clear icicles hang from town houses, the trees are glittered with freshly fallen snow, sun beaming down reflecting off the cold water springs and rivers. Despite the cold breeze that passes by every now and then, Sakura feels warm.

Two weeks into her mission she finds herself sitting at a grand table surrounded by elected officials. Shikamaru expertly negotiates with the Daimyo, Lee's enthusiasm ever present when they disagree as he tries to neutralize the situation. The medic nin puts in her fair share of responses, acting as an envoy for Konoha in order to secure the technology that could be utilized to advance their modern medicine.

After all the negotiations, she grabs a drink with her fellow team mates laughing at Lee's exuberance and Shikamaru's sarcastic tone. She feels light, happy. Ever since her discussion with Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura feels like things could finally get back to how they used to. She likes to imagine a center point for them as they slowly but surely find themselves meeting at said center as they each pick up the fallen pieces of their bonds.

She sees their broken photo abstractly come together little by little and for once she feels like she can finally close her eyes in peace.

There is hope.

* * *

The air is ridiculously dry in Wind country as Sasuke wanders the mass deserts exploring the hidden treasures he's heard throughout his journey. As he settles inside of a cave, a warm fire illuminating the darkness, he thinks about Konoha and the progress he's made since his departure.

There is a certain sense of peace within him with regards to his relationship with the members of Team Seven. Things were going well thus far and he hopes that they could get back to where they used to be. He was always an independent person and he valued his moments of solitude, but after letting go all his rage, Sasuke has realized just what he has lost.

A sudden shift in energy causes the Uchiha to instinctively grab his sword. He makes his way towards the cave entrance finding nothing but darkness. Onyx eyes bleed to red and violet as he surveys the area with calculating eyes. There is something strange going on and he isn't quite sure what it is as he directs his gaze up to the moon, his dojutsu picking up activity.

Kicking sand on to the flames, he makes his way out the cave, eyes still activated as he wanders out into the cold desert night to investigate.

Two weeks later as he is wandering the borders of Wind and Fire, he finds Hiashi Hyuga unconscious. Taking this as a warning, Sasuke makes his way back to Konoha.

* * *

A/N: Okayyyy so I hope you all liked this chapter, please leave a review letting me know your thoughts. We've finally made it to the point where the story meets The Last and I have a lot of things that I plan to do with SasuSaku now and how their relationship will progress. I'm very excited for you guys to read what's to come, so keep a lookout for the next update and thank you to everyone that has left a review, favorited/followed this fic. Also, I have decided to participate in SasuSaku smut month so if you can't wait for the M rated content here, head over there for some sexiness. Don't worry though there will be smut in this as well!


	16. Chapter 16

Sasuke's chidori pierces through the fast falling meteorite effectively destroying it before it could annihilate Konoha. His Sharingan and Rinnegan calculate the moon, body tense for another asteroid shower before he makes eye contact with his old sensei who is thoroughly surprised to see him.

"If _he_ isn't around then I'm the only one who can protect the village," Sasuke says.

He flashes away to cover more ground if necessary, leaving behind Hiashi's recovering body to Kakashi. Standing on top of the hospital, Sasuke continues to survey the still ongoing battle on the moon. No doubt Naruto was up there, as well as Sakura, sensing their strong chakra's up above. Being impatient by nature, he almost wants to go up there and join them (or was it just instinct?) but then his keen eyes make out Kurama's sloppy message _mission complete._Nodding_,_ Sasuke jumps off the roof and makes his way out the village, but not before he makes a quick stop.

* * *

_"How're you feeling_?" Tsunade inquires.

"I'm okay. My reserves still aren't completely full, but it's almost there." Sakura answers.

"_Good_." The busty blonde sighs. "_That idiot, he could've gotten you both killed." _

The pinkette smiles, "Are you -" she pauses for dramatic effect. "Worried about us?" She asks in a playful tone.

_"Tch, no. I know you'll keep him in line." _

Sakura almost laughs at her mentors tone of voice, smiling at the motherly nature she still felt for her and Naruto, "You know I will. I'll send you word when the wedding date is."

_"About damn time. Shizune! Another cup of sake! We'll talk again soon, Sakura."_

_Click! _

Removing the receiver from her ear, Sakura laughs before she too hangs up the phone, placing it back on the base. Tsunade had called her after the incident with Toneri, nearly yelling her ear off when she told the woman how she almost poured all of her chakra into Naruto and all because he couldn't face his feelings for Hinata. Their enemy had nearly extracted the kyubbi from her friend, and by the grace of God, he'd only managed to shock the Jinchuriki's system severely. Sakura had to recover for two days in order to get her own system functioning again, but she was more than willing to revive her friend, after all; he's done so much for her.

Sighing, the pinkette takes her cup of tea and walks into her living room, placing the steamy cup down on the table, she sits and tilts her head back. She had a lot of paperwork to catch up on, opening one eye she regards her work with annoyance before a scroll catches her eye. Not exactly recalling the item, she grabs it and opens it only for her eyes to nearly bulge out of their sockets.

_Sakura, feel free to use this summons to contact me. I can't promise that I will always respond. - Sasuke _

"Is this for real?" She says out loud.

To say that she was thoroughly surprised would be an understatement. Sasuke was never one to reach out to her, let alone so that they could stay in contact with one another. She was happy, but she was also confused at this sudden behavior - was this a joke? No, he wasn't that kind of person. A wide grin splits her face. It seems that maybe they did progress, they were friends, but although she was excited to write to him, Sakura also knew that he still needed his space. Taking the summoning scroll, she places it inside a drawer for safe keeping.

* * *

Winter melts away into Spring and Sakura turns twenty-two. She spends her birthday working with the children at her clinic much to the dismay of Ino who wanted to go day drinking.

"I can out drink you any day, Pig." She says to her friend while filling out a report. Green eyes look up to regard the blonde, "if anything I would've spent my day taking care of your drunk ass."

Ino's face reddens as she snatches the finished documents off of her partners desk. "Fine. Stay here and be a party pooper." She puffs before walking out the head medics office.

Later that evening, Sakura decides to visit her parents. They have dinner and talk about what their daughter has been up to in the last couple of months. The pinkette feels guilty, she hadn't seen them in a long while and she knows, by the stern expression on Mebuki's face and the sad frown on her fathers, that she needs to make more time for them. The three of them spend hours talking and sure enough for once, Sakura doesn't feel like berating her parents for the endless poking and prodding. She decides to stay over, her room still exactly the same as when she moved out, sheets clean and window open letting in the fresh breeze.

Sakura showers and changes into her pajamas. She stands in front of the mirror, brushing the knots out of her hair when her mother knocks on the door and tentatively steps into the room. Mebuki smiles and takes the comb from her daughters hand and begins to comb through her short locks.

"I'm so glad that you're here," her mother says.

Sakura smiles at her through the mirror, "Me too."

"You work yourself too hard sometimes."

"I can handle it, mom."

The blonde woman stops brushing, "I know it's just ..." She places her hands on her daughters shoulders, "I want to see you happy."

Pink brows furrow, "What makes you think I'm not?"

Mebuki shrugs, "Mothers intuition." She steps away and walks towards the door opening it, "You've always been a go-getter. Don't forget that." She says before exiting.

That night, as Sakura lays in her too small bed, she repeats her mothers words over and over again in her mind. It's been about two months since Sasuke left and another month since he left her the summoning scroll and not once did she try writing to him. She mulls it over and falls asleep dreaming of him and the heavy burden of whether or not it would be appropriate to reach out to him.

* * *

Four days later, Sakura and Ino depart for Suna to meet with the Kazekage about possibly developing a Children's Clinic at his village as well. The journey is short, or at least it feels short, what with her friends constant chatter about how she should admit her feelings to Sai. The pink haired kunoichi only laughs at her friends frantic state of mind, not used to seeing her so flustered over a guy when they usually eat off the palm of her hand. With every step they take, Sakura thinks of Sasuke, heart constricting at the thought of seeing him again. She daydreams of him meeting her at the Suna gates, her spirits a little low when her vivid dream does not come to fruition.

When the two kunoichi sit down to meet with the villages' doctors, they are interrupted by a shinobi who states that the Kazekage wanted to see them immediately. Arriving at the tower, Sakura's nerves are already on high alert when his sea-foam green eyes regard her with regret.

He motions with a hand to the two chairs before his desk, "Please sit."

The two kunoichi look at each other before taking their seats. "Is everything alright?" Ino asks.

Gaara sighs, "Sasuke has been seen in Suna."

Sakura's heart begins to pound, "Is he alright?"

With another heavy sigh, he tells them that while he was doing surveillance on a terrorist group of shinobi he spotted their old dark haired teammate planning a coup d'état with them and when the main leader refused to be his subordinate, Sasuke killed him.

"My ANBU went after him but he escaped," Gaara says.

"Who is the coup d'état against?" Ino asks.

Seafoam meet jade, "Konoha."

* * *

_I was angry for a long time. A part of me still is, but I'm trying to move on._

_I'll protect the village from the outside just like Itachi did. _

"Do you really think Sasuke did all those things?" Ino asks.

Sakura jumps onto another tree branch before answering, "I don't know but it was his chakra signature."

"Slow down!"

The pink haired kunoichi looks back at her friend with a sad expression, "I need to get back to the village and inform Kakashi." She throws a small pouch towards her friend, "Take these if you feel overly fatigued."

Sakura pumps chakra into her legs and speeds further away from her companion, thoughts of what Gaara informed them haunting her thoughts.

_Why, Sasuke? I thought things were okay. I thought - no, there has to be an explanation, and I'll find it!_

She arrives at Konoha at daybreak heading straight to Hokage Tower. Not bothering to knock she enters Kakashi's office wasting no time in retelling everything she was told.

"It has to be a look alike! Sasuke - he ..."

"I know, Sakura. I agree. For now, we'll have to concede to Gaara's request of keeping all this a secret. For now, go home and I'll figure things out."

She nods robotically, fatigue beginning to creep up on her, but she's more angry than tired. Once she leaves the tower, Sakura flash steps to her apartment immediately going for the summoning scroll. Her nerves are a mess, hand shaking as she grips the pen in her hand, thoughts a wild. What would she write to him? Should she ask him straight forward? No, that would be outright accusing him. Frustration gets the better of her as she flings the pen across the room, ink splattering against the wall.

Not being able to stand the confines of her home, Sakura leaves her apartment in much need of fresh air. Without noticing where she was going, she ends up at the Academy where she finds Naruto teaching a class.

"Hey, care to join me?"

"Yes, please! Sakura-sensei please teach us!" The kids plead.

Smiling, the medic ninja agrees, crouching low to swipe at her friends legs. Naruto jumps away just in time, a shocked look on his face. "Oi! What was that for!?" He yells.

"Lesson one: always stay on your toes."

* * *

"Bye Sakura-sensei, Naruto-sensei!"

The two shinobi wave as the children of the Academy begin to leave the training ground. Much to the relief of Sakura, her impromptu lesson was actually quite the stress reliever.

The last child leaves and Sakura turns to Naruto, "there's something I need to tell you."

"What's up?"

"Gaara spotted Sasuke in Suna planning a coup."

Blonde brows furrow, "Is that so?"

"How can you be so calm about this?" She questions.

Naruto just laughs, "Because it isn't him."

"How can you be so sure?"

Azure eyes regard his friend carefully, "It's an imposter." He sighs, "If it were him then he'd be here now. I'm sure Kakashi has already contacted him."

Guilt washes over her, it seems yet again Naruto was a better friend to Sasuke then she believed herself to be. "I guess you're right."

"Don't worry," Naruto says as he places his hands on her shoulders, "We'll figure out what's going on."

Later that night, Sakura meets with Tsunade at a local bar. They discuss possibilities, one of them being that perhaps someone has taken large amounts of Sasuke's DNA, either from hair or skin, and extracted a chakra signature from it. Her mentor mulls it over for a few minutes and deems it a well enough theory. Confident, she walks back to the Hokage Tower to tell Kakashi only to bump into Sai along the way. She tells him her theory, only for her to be surprised when he tells her of a similar encounter he had days earlier with someone containing Naruto's signature. Determined to find the culprit more than ever, the duo make their way to Kakashi's office to discuss strategies.

For the next three days she and Sai investigate a man named Kido who was an affiliate of Danzo, believing him to be a prime suspect. It's on the afternoon of the third day that Sakura stumbles upon a scuffle between ANBU and an unknown. Curious, she walks over to them to offer them aid, only to realize that the person they were apprehending was Sasuke. Her chakra, however, does not recognize anything.

_Genjutsu! _

But it's too late, by the time she dispels it, Sakura is injected and her world turns black.

* * *

He's almost at the border of the Land of Wind about to cross over to the Land of Mountains when a hawk swoops in and lands before him. Recognizing it to be one of Konoha's messengers, Sasuke takes the small scroll attached to the birds foot, dark eyes skimming across the parchment. Activating his Rinnegan, he disappears in a flash, startling the hawk to fly up and away back home, the small message floating down to the ground.

_Sakura has been kidnapped._

* * *

"A drug that will produce the Sharingan?"

"Yes," Kido starts. "With it, we will over power any village and _I_ will be Fire's leader."

Turns out that their suspicions of Kido were correct. When Sakura came to, she was bound by chakra cuffs in a dark room that was solely illuminated by candles. Her guess was that she was in some remote cave seeing as how she could feel the draft. Eyes sharp, she glares at the two men before her, hatred in her depths when Kido ordered his subordinate to transform into Sasuke and confess his love for her. For a moment, it was almost believable and she feels disgusted for even entertaining the thought, but when the impostor sadistically smirked at her, Sakura's only thoughts were of the many ways she was going to wipe that smirk of his face when she freed herself.

"I'm rather surprised that he hasn't shown his face yet. I've made quite the commotion, but perhaps once he knows you're gone, he'll come," Kido says.

She lets out a cold chuckle, "He isn't going to show up." Putting all her years of training into practice, Sakura concentrates her chakra at a single point on her wrists, letting what little chakra she had access to drip to her reserves. She needed to bide her time for this to work. "How exactly do you plan on controlling the Sharingan?"

Kido raises a sinister eyebrow, "Control? It's nothing more than a simple dojutsu."

"Simple? The Sharingan is the deadliest dojutsu known to man." Sakura laughs, "You'll never be able to duplicate its abilities."

"Perhaps you'd like to experience it for yourself?" Her captor threatens.

Green eyes widen, "There's no way you've already produced such a drug."

"Kukuku," Kido laughs. "Magire, bring me the syringe." He grabs Sakura's chin, his calloused thumb brushing her bottom lip, "If I kill you then it'll only make his Sharingan stronger."

Sakura spits at him and glares, "I'd like to see you try."

Kido slaps her, "Spiteful bitch."

"Here it is, Sir." Magire says as he hands over the needle.

Facing the medic-nin he says, "Be prepared to be enlightened."

The dam within her breaks, chakra overflowing to her wrists. She feels a sense of satisfaction when Kido's eyes widen, feeling the pulse of her energy, ordering his subordinates to quickly get more restrains, but it's too late and Sakura has already broken free.

Cracking her knuckles she lunges forward.

* * *

Ever since he was a child, Sasuke has been able to read people's chakra's. As a genin, he was always drawn to Sakura's chakra in particular because of its purity. Her energy is light and comforting, and even after his fight with Naruto, all he felt from her was warmth; it soothed him from the inside and it always somehow made him feel safe in her presence. Now, years later, he was still drawn to her, especially now that he was no longer clouded in darkness, but rather sought out the light.

However, things are different.

The once calm chakra that he always associated with her is dark, suffocating, powerful and angry; even to the point where he wasn't even sure if it was hers. His doubts are put to rest when he flash steps before a cave, the floor rattling beneath him, splitting in two causing him to jump out of the way. He has no doubt that Sakura was in there causing destruction, but he's confident in her abilities enough that he holds back and doesn't enter. After five minutes, however the rumbling stops, but no one emerges from the cave. He walks inside, dojutsu activated following the steady pulse of her chakra only to find her glaring at a tall man with auburn hair and brown eyes, holding him up against the wall with blood leaking from his thin lips.

"Ah, so you have finally come."

"...Sakura."

The pink haired kunoichi stiffens, but doesn't bother turning around, "I'm not going to fall for your stupid tricks," She says.

Noticing a figure emerge from underground with a kunai in hand aiming towards the pink haired woman, Sasuke moves quickly and blocks the attack with his sword. There's a heavy clank of metal against metal behind her causing Sakura to take her captor and fling him across the cave. Jumping away she regards Sasuke with scrutiny only for her to then lower her defenses when she realizes it was really him.

Tentatively, she walks over to him and places a gentle hand against his cheek, "It's really you..."

His eyes close, savoring the brief contact before noticing the bruises on her wrists. Carefully, he takes her hand and inspects her injury, "What's going on?"

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Kido and I will be taking your Sharingan."

"Is he the one who did this to you?" Sasuke asks her.

"Yes, but why are you here?"

In that moment, he feels a large wave of chakra approaching the hideout, assuming it to be reinforcements. He steps in front of Sakura, shielding her from Kido's view.

"The two of you can't take me on and ANBU," Kido gloats. "It's best you hand over your eyes now."

True enough, ANBU dressed in white cloaks surround the duo. Sakura presses her back against Sasuke's in a defensive matter, "He seriously has no idea who he's dealing with does he?"

Sasuke smirks, "Ah."

Kido, along with Magire and their ANBU attack.

* * *

A/N: Alright so this chapter is obviously a big spoiler for Sakura Hiden. The last bit actually never happens so this is my spin on what _should've_ happened in Sakura Hiden. The next chapter will contain a fight scene of Sasuke and Sakura v Kido, Magire and the ANBU. I have to make some edits in this chapter, rearrange a couple of things, but I wanted to get this up for you guys because I know many of you were dying for an update. I hope you guys aren't too disappointed about this chapter, please be sure to leave me a comment with your thoughts. I'll try my very best to update again before the new year, but if I don't, I wish you all a happy holiday and a happy new year!


	17. Chapter 17

They're surrounded.

Kido and Magire flank Sasuke's front while more than a dozen ANBU flank Sakura's, her ever calculating eyes looking for an opening, her mind forming a strategy. She isn't worried, though if anything she was excited because she couldn't wait to wipe the smug look off of Kido's face.

An ANBU wearing a bird mask makes the first move as he unsheathes his katana aiming for Sakura. Her evasive skills come into play as she easily doges the attack by crouching low as Sasuke swiftly turns around and switches their positions as he uses his brute strength with his own sword to knock the ANBU's blade out of his hand. The dark haired shinobi follows up his defense by punching the masked shinobi in the gut, skilled hands flipping his Kusangi the other way as he uses its hilt to drive up and into the ANBU's chin making him stumble backwards, Sasuke then aims a strong kick to his chest knocking him a few feet back.

_It wouldn't be wise to use my strength here, I'll have to find a way to draw them out_

Magire is next to attack as he flies through a series of hand signs, "Earth Style: Mud Prison!"

Looking down, Sakura notices that the earth beneath them begins to melt, thick globs of soil and rock clump at their ankles trapping them with no form of movement. The remaining ANBU charge towards them and with no other choice, she charges chakra into her fist with the intention of breaking the hold, that is until she feels a strong surge of electricity and hears the tell-tale sounds of chirping birds as Sasuke drives his sword into the mud. She feels his warm hand grasp her wrist and hears a loud _whoosh_ ring in her ears; before she even realizes it, Sasuke has already transported them outside of the cave.

"Now you can use your abilities," he says.

The kunoichi blinks, still amazed at his own technique, but smiles and focuses to their opponents steadily exiting the cave, "Hell yeah."

Another ANBU, with the mask of a tiger and several others weave the signs for a katon aiming towards the duo. The grand flames steady approaches them, but Sakura is quick as she punches the earth beneath her lifting a wall of earth to shield them, she then carefully aims for its center as the make shift shield flies at a rapid speed towards her enemies, breaking apart halfway through crushing some of the assailants, the debris absorbing the heat of the flames burning them.

"Why are they after the Sharingan?" Sasuke asks.

"They want to create a drug that'll allow your dojutsu to be activated within anyone without the need of a transplant." Green eyes sneer at her opponents, "It's obvious who does all the work."

In a breath, the Uchiha flash steps away and in an instant is already behind the brown haired man, "So you want the Sharingan?" His red iris spins in an effort to trap Kido in a genjutsu, but Magire pushes his boss out the way, his hazel eyes connecting with Sasuke's. Magire's eyes glaze over, his knees hitting the ground as he falls over.

"What a fool," Kido says.

Half the ANBU attack Sasuke while the other half attack Sakura. Never one to shy away from a fight, the ex-avenger runs into the fray, his sword fighting skills put to use as he blocks every swipe, swing and jab. Meanwhile, Sakura does the same as she evades the assaults with a fluid motion of side steps, twists and backflips. One ANBU aims a series of shurikin her way, but she is caught in a deadlock between two other opponents. Sasuke's ever vigilant eyes catch this, summoning shurikin of his own from the seals on his wrist he throws them in a curve, channeling the teachings Itachi once taught him, the stars clanking against one another hitting the ground.

The medic-nin breaks the deadlock by using her flexibility as she aims a roundhouse kick to one of ANBU's side, her shin connecting with his ribs effectively breaking them. As the masked shinobi doubles over in pain, she strikes her elbow into his back as she channels chakra into her other arm to push back the other ninja. Using basic skills, she focuses chakra into her legs for a burst of speed, getting in front of the ninja and punching him square in the face, breaking his mask revealing him.

"Enough!" Kido yells. "This is going nowhere. All of you head back to the village and wait for further instructions." Brown eyes regard the two Team Seven members, "I'll deal with them." Once the masked shinobi disperse he sighs, "You can't find good help nowadays." He then slips his hand into the pocket attached to his hip, "Let's see how much I've accomplished." He says before injecting himself, his eyes turning red.

Sasuke jumps away from Kido landing next to Sakura. "We can't kill him. He's still an official of Konoha." She says to him.

"Tch."

Their opponent flings kunai at them. They doge, but it's apparent that it was just a ploy to get them to separate from one another when Kido runs towards Sakura and aims his fist covered in a duplicate chidori towards her. Acting fast, she weaves the necessary signs for a substitution as he makes contact with a log. She lands a few feet away from him, but his assault doesn't let up when he sends a katon her way as well. Tapping into her reserves, her chakra pulses and she swiftly flashes away. There's a _poof_ next to Kido, revealing a shadow clone who faces Sasuke.

Green eyes meet red and violet, her heart skipping a beat at what she could practically read in their depths.

_Stay safe_

Nodding, Sakura runs forward, her kunai making contact with the original Kido, "Are you impressed yet kunoichi?"

"Not really," she replies as she aims a chakra encased fist towards him. But her opponent knows her tricks as Kido's body flares up, forcing Sakura to stop midway and jump away. He continues his assault with a series of katon knowing full well that she was a close combat shinobi.

Meanwhile, Sasuke fights the clone, his Kusangi meeting his kunai, "The Sharingan is essential to the survival of the village," the clone says as he lifts up making Sasuke twist around him to block an attack aimed towards his back. They continue battling with their weapons meeting one another with precise aim until the clone then weaves signs for another clone to appear, "I'll be leaving with your eyes and once that bitch is dead -"

Sasuke doesn't let him finish as he covers his body in the Chidori Stream on full blast effectively shocking both clones making one disappear. His hand grips the paralyzed clones robes and pulls him forward, impaling him with his Kusangi right in the chest. Dull red meet bright crimson and violet, with a deadly glare Sasuke twists his wrist further imbedding his blade into the clones body making it disappear.

There's a loud crash towards his right, his keen eyes noticing a large tree fall over about twenty yards away. Not wasting any time, he runs towards the location.

* * *

"Why won't you just die!?" Kido yells.

The two Konoha shinobi run towards one another at full speed drawing their weapons they clash, "I look forward to throwing you in jail." Sakura snarls.

"That won't happen," her opponent responds before jumping away and disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves.

The clearing is silent with nothing but the spring breeze flowing through her. The pink haired kunoichi is alert as she expands her chakra searching for Kido. Suddenly, the ground beneath her shakes and the brown haired man comes up from underground locking his hands around her ankles bringing her down, trapping her. Resurfacing, he stands before her and binds her wrists with chakra cuffs.

"You're mine now," he gloats.

She feels like she's being drained of her energy as the cuffs begin to seal away her chakra. Not being able to do anything, she struggles to break free, her mind trying to come up with different ways of escape.

"Earth Style: Dome Coffin!"

The earth around her lifts surrounding her completely before it closing in on her shrouding her in darkness.

_Shit shit shit! _

It's in that instant that Sasuke emerges from the forest noticing a large and abnormal barrier immediately assuming that Sakura was trapped inside, he flash steps forward.

_Die!_ "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Sakura!"

The dome explodes as the Katon hits its target, "Good riddance." The smoke slowly begins to clear, "Kukuku now all that's left is - No!"

"Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?" Sakura says.

"But how!?" Kido growls.

Tipping her chin up to face him, Sasuke asks, "Are you alright?"

The medic nin smiles, "Yeah I'm okay."

Using his sword, the Uchiha channels his chidori through the blade as he cuts off the cuffs.

_She only had a second to think, shocking her system once again, Sakura activated her Yin seal, purple markings flowing down her cheeks as she maneuvers her bound hands into her weapons pouch and releases the explosive tags that she always kept with her. They fall to the ground, instantly detonating and although the sharp debris from her prison and the blast from the explosives sink into her skin and burn her, she feels no sort of pain, her body immediately healing itself thanks to the Creation Rebirth: Strength of a Hundred Technique. Now free, she jumps away before the Katon could directly strike her, feeling strong arms wrap around her body, she sees Sasuke jump up after her catching her before she landed._

"Let's finish this, Sasuke."

"Hn."

The two Team Seven members run at full speed towards Kido, crisscrossing one another before the dark haired shinobi disappears only to then suddenly reappear behind the Konoha official electrocuting him with a stream of chidori. Sakura then follows up her teammates move by flash stepping before Kido, her index and middle finger glowing bright green as she swings her hand across his chest, her chakra seeping into the skin cutting off her opponent's access to chakra.

Jade eyes connect with faded red, "I told you that I'd be bringing you to jail."

The older man sneers up at the medic-nin, his body shaking as he tries to flex his muscles, "I told you that I wouldn't be going there." Black markings cover Kido's body. _Forgive me, Lord Danzo. I have failed you. _

Recognizing the technique, Sasuke moves quickly as he takes Sakura into his arms and transports them far away from the black explosion. When they land at another clearing Sakura asks, "What the hell just happened?"

Sharingan and Rinnegan eyes harden remembering his past, "Danzo used that technique in a last attempt to kill me. It's the Four Symbols Seal."

Jade eyes widen, "So he killed himself?"

"Ah."

Realizing the intimate position they were in, the pinkette wiggles herself out of Sasuke's hold even though it felt so good to be wrapped in his arms. He lets her go, her slim body sliding against his as her feet meet the ground, but one of his arms is still wrapped around her waist. She peeks up at him, her heart nearly stopping at their close proximity.

"How did you know…?" She whispers.

"…Kakashi"

_You've always been a go-getter. Don't forget that._

Petite hands scrunch up the front of his shirt.

_Bet against my love life okay, Lady Tsunade?_

She pulls down.

_A girl's feelings never change, Naruto. _

"…Sakura."

_Especially when she loves him. Trust me._

Closing the distance between them, Sakura kisses Sasuke for the first time.

* * *

A/N: Ahhhhhhhhhhh! I couldn't help myself! I was feeling so inspired and I just kept typing so TA-DA! I really hope you guys liked this chapter and hooray! OTP FINALLY kiss! Please leave me a review letting me know your thoughts. There are so many of you that have favorited/followed this story but I only get a handful of reviews which really makes me sad because I want to hear from each and every one of you so please don't shy away from leaving a review. I appreciate you all!


	18. Chapter 18

If Sasuke was truly honest with himself, he imagined kissing Sakura once a upon a time. They were in Snow and he had been resting his head on her soft lap starring up at the kaleidoscope sky. He isn't sure what made his mind wander; he had briefly imagined himself raising his tired arm, his hand cupping the back of her neck and pulling her down for a kiss. Sasuke had felt comfortable in her presence, especially in such close proximity. They'd never been that close to one another, and in that brief moment it felt like they were something more which he honestly didn't mind. Maybe it was the fatigue, or maybe it was the way the scenery illuminated her features making her seem like the very personification of Spring. He remembers thinking that she had looked pretty, then, as his fledging eyes look up and take note of all the things he'd never noticed about her before.

He'd chickened out, of course. The tips of his ears burning red thinking how stupid he was at that moment for even entertaining the idea. But now, nine years have passed since then and it's she who initiates the kiss. She's so much shorter than him now to the point where he has to bend a little just so he could press his lips more against hers. He feels her intake a sharp breath, her hands fisting against his poncho as she angles her head to the right slightly. Her lips are soft and her body is warm against his.

A brief memory flashes before him, he was about seven years old at the time, Sasuke had went out into the garden to look for Itachi, but stopped abruptly when he noticed his parents standing outside. He remembers his father holding his mother close in a rare display of intimacy as they briefly kissed. He hadn't stood too long, his cheeks burning at seeing his parents act so "mushy" as he so eloquently thought back then.

His chest tightens a little at the memory, longing overcoming him, wishing now more than ever to see them again, but also happy that he could still remember what they looked like before the massacre. His brightest memory is seeing how happy his mother was that day and all because his father showed her just a little affection.

_Maybe... _

His bandaged hand ghosts up her arm from her elbow up to her shoulder, tickles her neck with his fingertips, and finally cups the back of her head – (just like he'd imagined all those years ago) - his clothed fingers entangling in her soft hair as he presses his lips more firmly against hers. Sasuke feels her relax and lets the breath she was holding in go as she melts into him. The kiss doesn't last long, their mouths just sealed over one another in a chaste lip lock, it's over in a matter of seconds.

They pull away from one another with his arm still around her, his other running through his own hair as he tries to calm his quick beating heart. Sakura steps away from him, taking his hand off her waist she intertwines their hands, head bowing forward, her fringe hiding her eyes as she cups her mouth letting out a small sob.

Not understanding her reaction, he tugs gently at their linked hands, "Sakura?"

She shakes her head, pink hair flowing in the breeze, "I'm sorry it's just – "She takes in a gulp of air raising her head to look him directly in the eyes, "– a lot of years of you know ... being released in one moment."

Coal eyes soften, "Ah." He pokes her seal gently, "Thank you."

"Now will you tell me?"

"Thank you is a form of gratitude," he says.

Sakura huffs, pouts and it reminds him of when they were children making him chuckle. Her eyes widen, never once hearing him laugh and sound carefree (she remembers his hysterical maniacal laugh, though) but she smiles nonetheless and waits patiently, "What do you really mean, Sasuke?" She asks stepping closer to him.

He squeezes her hand, "Thank you for loving me."

She swears that her heart stops beating in this one moment of time between them. For all the years she's been kept awake since her adolescence, wondering if he ever really understood her feelings for him, if he ever thought anything about it, if he even cared ... Jade eyes look into onyx, seeing nothing but pure honesty and she thinks that they've finally come to a full circle. Whether or not he reciprocated her feelings, all that matters to her in this moment is that he accepts them and it's okay.

The pinkette smiles, her cheeks flushed pink, "Always."

There's a pregnant pause between them as they just stare at one another. Years of memories resurfacing and Sakura thinks that she maybe now understands why he always called her annoying making her giggle.

Raising a sharp eyebrow, Sasuke asks, "What?"

"Nothing," she responds biting the inside of her cheek to contain her laughter.

"Tch," he lets go of her hand, "I'll walk you back to the village," his ever vigilant eyes scanning the area, "We don't know if there's ANBU lurking around."

The duo begin their walk back to Konoha. If Sakura surmises, they're about two miles away, recognizing the tell-tale landmarks of the village. Sasuke doesn't seem to be in a hurry, his long legs carry him at a leisurely pace but matching her stride. There's silence between them, but she doesn't mind since she's still processing what happened between the two of them and thankfully the atmosphere around them doesn't feel awkward, it actually feels comfortable. That's one thing that she has always adored about him, his quiet nature that is. When she was younger, Sakura may have talked a lot, but that was only because she was always trying to prove something to someone like how much she knew more than them. She cringes on the inside when she recalls what a brat she was, but Sasuke always kept to himself and it was oddly comforting to her.

It was rather exhausting for her to keep up that persona. A little know it all with consistently having something to say, but she'd only been that way because everyone always underestimated her abilities. Her sensei never paid much attention to her and for a while, Sakura felt bitter about it, but after she slowly witnessed Sasuke sink into darkness and living through the constant attacks from the Akatsuki and their plans to extract the Kyubi from Naruto ... what was there for Kakashi to worry about on her end? She wasn't born from a prestigious clan with ocular powers and she didn't contain an ancient chakra, she was just a normal girl born from two regular shinobi parents who never made it past chunin. Perhaps Kakashi knew of her destiny, knew that he wasn't meant to be her teacher beyond the age of thirteen, knew that someone else was destined to mold her into the woman that she was today. She still loved her sensei deeply, after all, he instilled lifelong lessons that she would always cherish and Sakura considered him like a second father; one that understood the real struggles of the shinobi world. She knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that he is proud of all that she has accomplished.

Green eyes peek up towards her companion, a blush staining her cheeks when her eyes linger a little too long on his thin lips. How many years had she waited to kiss him, how many hours in her lifetime has she spent daydreaming about his arms wrapped around her? Her lips tingle remembering how his lips felt against hers, her skin prickling at the way he touched her, head heavy when he laced his fingers in her hair holding her close like she actually meant more to him ... Did she? Would she?

"There's something I want to give you," he suddenly says.

Curious, she stops, "Oh? What is it?"

Sasuke stops as well and turns to face her before he goes into his travel pack, fishing out a small box which he then hands to her.

Slender fingers open the casing, green eyes widening before she looks back up to the dark haired man, confused, "A chain?"

"I stopped by Waves. Inari wanted to give that to you or Naruto," he lies.

Sakura caresses the colorful thin metals of the chain contemplating just what exactly this gift symbolized, thinking that the colors reminded her very much of her Team Seven. She smiles, her heart swelling at the boys thoughtfulness. Carefully, she takes out the chain and hands the now empty box back to Sasuke. He steps forward to help clasp it around her except she raises her arms and hooks it around his poncho.

"He wanted you to have it," he says.

The pinkette shakes her head, "Maybe so but I want you to have it."

"Why?"

She bites her bottom lip before answering, "I have this odd feeling that it represents us." Green eyes look up to onyx, "It's so you don't forget us."

How could he possibly forget Team Seven?

"If you say so," Sasuke says.

Nodding, Sakura runs her fingers across the chain one last time, silently blessing it with a prayer for it to always keep him safe. She continues their walk to the village, body tingling, feeling his omniscient eyes on her. He catches up to her easily, falling into step beside her, his calm chakra washing over her. The corner of her mouth lifting slightly with joy at how his journey was truly doing him good to his soul.

They make it to the outskirts of the village, the strong chakra barrier around Konoha meshing with hers, recognizing one of its own inhabitants. Her heart sinks a little, knowing that Sasuke would not be entering with her.

She faces him, "I guess this is me."

"Ah, I'll see you soon."

"Take care of yourself."

Onyx eyes observe the pinkette closely. He knows that she's waiting for something, her body language screaming tension and nervousness. He steps forward, their bodies a breath away from another, tipping her chin up, he lowers his head down towards her and he can practically feel her body shaking with anticipation.

With just a breath apart from them, he smirks at her gently, "You as well Sakura." He says before stepping away and turning around towards his next destination, his smirk widening once his back is facing her at the dazed expression he left her with.

_Next time_

* * *

He's in the hidden Grass Village when Sasuke receives his first letter from Sakura. It's been about two weeks since he last saw her and he was starting to wonder if she was ever going to write to him. Of course he could've initiated the first contact, but he honestly didn't know what to say to her, didn't know how to approach her after their kiss which he'd been thinking about ever since he left her.

Opening the letter he reads:

_Sasuke, _

_I hope you're doing well. I'm sorry that I haven't written to you sooner, I've been swamped at work. Naruto is starting to plan his wedding with Hinata and he wanted me to tell you that you're invited (obviously). He's been driving me crazy trying to figure everything out. In any case, the date has been set for one month from now, I hope you attend ... See you soon... _

_ \- Sakura _

Placing the letter down, he takes a sip of his tea, closing his eyes as he relishes the taste. The corner of his lip twitches upwards, _so the dobe is getting married_, he thinks to himself. Sasuke is happy for his friend and not surprised at who exactly he was betrothed to, even he noticed the constant looks the Hyuga heiress always sent the idiot's way. He almost wants to laugh because he could practically imagine Sakura pulling at her hair with frustration, with Naruto making her life unnecessarily complicated with his ignorance. As happy he was for his spiritual brother, the Uchiha knows that he cannot attend this joyous occasion. Although his team has forgiven him, and with the remaining Rookie Nine slowly warming up to him, he feels like he still hasn't done enough to earn a place by their sides. Sasuke hadn't been to a wedding since he was about five years old, remembering his cousin Suki walk down the aisle to marry another stoic Uchiha, he had thought to himself that if this was a wedding, then why didn't people look happy? Thinking back on it now, he realizes it was because his clan were never much the openly affectionate type, all they truly cared about was breeding stronger shinobi amongst themselves, their Uchiha Pride not allowing them to enjoy the momentous occasion.

But things are different now; Uzumaki Naruto was marrying Hyuga Hinata. Two entirely different people from different clans coming together to unite as one. There would be nothing but love surrounding them as their friends came together to celebrate and wish the happy couple well, but Sasuke could not share in the same sentiment. He felt like his presence would deter from what was important, it was his friend's day, and he didn't want to ruin that by taking away the attention by having people solely focus on his attendance. He knew he would probably disappoint Naruto by not showing up, but he also knew that he'd understand and maybe one day, they'd celebrate the occasion together, albeit rather belated.

_I suppose I have to send him something._

"I'm telling you man something weird is going on over there," a patron at the bar says.

"No kidding. I heard if you step too close then your chakra gets absorbed," his companion says.

Dark eyes shift to the right where he notices two ninja sitting at the bar. Listening in closely he hears the two shinobi talk about the Tenchi Bridge and how apparently many people, ninja in particular, were beginning to disappear, but only if you had a large chakra reserve. Curious, Sasuke finishes the rest of his tea and goes out in search of this mysterious bridge that has been plaguing the village for quite some time now.

* * *

_Sakura,_

_Thank you for the invitation, unfortunately I will not be able to attend for reasons that I think you can understand. However, please give the remaining scroll to Naruto for me. _

_I'll see you soon._

_-Sasuke _

To say that Sakura was disappointed would be an understatement, but she could also understand why Sasuke wouldn't want to attend the wedding. Sighing, she takes the note and puts it in a box for safe keeping then packs the accompanied scroll in her purse. Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she heads out the door towards the Hokage Tower.

It was a beautiful Spring day, a perfect day for a wedding. She could barely contain her excitement at the day ahead, elated that her best friend was finally getting married. She had spent the last week scrambling for a present to buy Naruto, gotten kicked out a gift shop, and nearly killed Choji (though it was entirely Ino's fault) but she finally was able to find a gift worthy enough to give to her friends. The village was in a bustle with everyone talking about the momentous occasion, some of them disappointed that they couldn't attend.

She makes it to the tower and goes straight up to the Hokage chambers where she finds Naruto pacing back and forth like a mad man and as soon as his eyes fall on her, he stops, azure eyes widening before stepping up to her and embracing her in a fierce hug.

"Someone is overly emotional," she playfully says.

Naruto steps away from her slightly with his large hands on her shoulders, "I'm just glad that you're here."

She blinks, "Why wouldn't I be?"

The blonde shakes his head, "I'm just really grateful to have you in my life."

Understanding, the pinkette smiles at her friend, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Oi! You're gonna be late!" Shikamaru says.

The ceremony is beautiful.

Soft and simple decorations are strategically placed around the makeshift pillars provided by Yamato. Sakura watches the way Naruto looks up towards the Hokage Mountains, his eyes lingering on Minato's face, her heart aching for her friend. She also notices the way Hinata looks up towards the sky, assuming she's probably thinking about Neji, the medic-nin can't help but feel a little guilty that she couldn't get to him in time.

Naruto and Hinata kiss and it's the sweetest thing that Sakura has ever witnessed. She thinks that her heart may burst from the happiness she feels for her friend as she constantly dabs at her eyes trying to control her tears. The event goes by in a big blur for her, with her keeping an eye on Tsunade to make sure she didn't drink all the rice wine, to pulling Choji away from the open buffet, and a million other things she can't recall.

Viridian eyes light up with excitement as she watches the newlyweds have their first dance together as husband and wife. Hinata looked absolutely stunning with her long, jet black hair cascading in soft waves and a light blue kimono that further enhanced her beautiful pale skin. Sakura smiles at the way Naruto regards his new bride, holding a hand to her heart when he places his bandaged hand on her cheek and kisses her for the umpteenth time that night.

She steps out of the reception hall for air, placing her forearms against the balcony railing, she looks up to the sky and thinks about Sasuke and how much she missed him in this moment. But what would they do? They weren't even a couple so it's not like he would ask her to dance or share kisses ... Her fingertips brush her lips tentatively remembering once again, the kiss they shared a little over a month ago. She sighs, and wonders if he's thinking about her, wonders what he's doing at the moment, if he's okay, if he's warm and safe.

"There you are," Naruto says.

Turning her head, she sees her friend walk up behind her handsome as ever in a traditional black robe, a welcoming change to his nostalgic orange jumpsuit. He stands next to her, looking out towards the village, the lights illuminating his features making him look like the boy she used to get so annoyed with all those years ago. She loves seeing him happy and relaxed, God knows he deserved it.

Naruto wraps his arm around her shoulders, "Why're you outside by yourself?"

She places her head against his shoulder, "Just needed some air."

"Have you heard from Sasuke?"

Stiffening, the pinkette jumps remembering his note, " Yes! I totally forgot to give this to you." She fumbles inside her small purse pulling out the scroll, "I just got it this morning." She says while handing it over.

Opening the parchment he reads:

_Naruto, _

_Congratulations. There's still a lot I need to do before I can earn a place by your side, I'm sure you can understand. Enclosed is my gift to you; take this scroll and place it somewhere in your house and have Sakura activate it. It will create a genjutsu barrier around the compound to ensure your new families safety. _

_-Sasuke_

"...that bastard," Naruto whispers.

The medic nin places a hand on his shoulder, "What'd he say?"

The Jinchuriki laughs while handing the scroll over, "He still thinks I can't do shit," his laughter dies down to a soft chuckle, "...jerk."

Feeling playful, Sakura adds, "Well you are kinda helpless sometimes..."

"Not you, too!"

The pinkette laughs before she hugs her friend in a tight embrace, "I'm so proud of you, Naruto."

Azure orbs soften returning the hug, "Thanks." He says before he begins to sway back and forth.

"What're you doing?" Sakura asks fumbling with her steps.

"Dancing with my best friend."

* * *

A/N: Lots of fluff in this chapter, huh? I Know many of you were anxious to know how Sasuke would react in regards to their kiss in the previous chapter so I hope this quelled your guys' hysteria lol I also hope he didn't seem OOC. I wanted to take this in a different direction, but I ended up exploring Naruto and Hinata's wedding instead cause I wanted to incorporate a little NaruSaku interaction since I felt like my story was beginning to exclude him. Man, I freaking miss Team Seven (sobs). Any who, has anyone else heard about the news Shonen Jump plans on releasing in like what 5 days? We might just get a new manga starring the new generation! God, I hope so! I wanna see Sarada kick ass and obviously see some real canon SasuSaku. (sigh) Please leave a review letting me know your thoughts for this chapter and thank you to everyone that left a comment previously, you are all so wonderful. Happy Holidays to you all!


	19. Chapter 19

The chakra Sasuke feels surrounding the Tenchi Bridge is alarming, or rather, what used to be the bridge. He stands on one side of the wide canyon, looking down at the great abyss, brows furrowed. Activating his dojutsu, he can pick up slight remnants of Naruto's chakra as well as faint traces of Orochimaru and others. He surmises that this is the meeting place he had been told about a long time ago, having also been told later on that it had been nothing more than a ploy. It seems that Naruto had caused quite the destruction what with the absence of the bridge and the way the forest looked choppy.

Sorting the known chakra's aside, he focuses on an energy that feels more malignant, darker, and ancient. Glowing eyes look down, noticing a swirl of energy, his Rinnegan picking up distortions similar to what he witnessed during the Fourth Shinobi World War as he faced Madara. There's a disturbance in the space of darkness reminding him of what he also witnessed while fighting Kaguya, what with the way she would create a pathway to another dimension. He hasn't had much experience jumping to other dimensions besides the previously mentioned war, but instinct guides him as his Rinnegan spins as he jumps down into the abyss. He hears the way the wind rushes in his ears the further down he goes, but he concentrates and imagines a portal. The distortion expands and in the distance he can see another world just beyond the portal. He places his hand on his sword just before entering the portal not knowing what exactly he'll encounter in this other dimension.

What he sees isn't what he was expecting.

Emerging from the real world, Sasuke enters a garden like dimension surrounded by flora he's never seen before. The air seems peaceful here, the soft breeze flowing making the flowers gently sway to and fro. He doesn't let up his guard, though, if there was one thing Kakashi taught him that he still remembered till this day was to always look underneath. His steps are tentative, calculating eyes surveying the area. He feels the flowers brush along his pants, some sticking to him along the way.

_It's too peaceful here._

The silence disturbs the dark haired shinobi, being used to living through constant danger, the threat of someone attacking always keeping him alert has his muscles tense, prepared for anything. He keeps walking forward, looking up towards the brilliant sun he squints and sees that even that star was different from the real world. The sun here was the shape of a crescent moon, but it still shun brightly like the normal sun. His brows furrow, not exactly understanding the opposite nature of this dimension. His peripheral vision catches a glow towards his left, the flora in that area shining. Upon closer inspection, Sasuke finds that the ground is littered with headbands, lost or abandoned, submerged in the flora.

_Underground?_

There's a loud bang that comes from behind him. Swiftly turning around, he spots a giant black beast with horns along with strange markings that looked similar to a seal covering its body. Sasuke stays still as he waits for the beast to make the first move, his hand gripping Kusangi tightly waiting to unsheathe it.

The beast moves quickly, its powerful legs propelling it forward towards the Uchiha intruder. Sasuke unsheathes his sword, his own legs pushing forward, blade high and ready to strike. The dark haired ninja swings his weapon in an arc in an attempt to catch his opponent at the jugular, but it's fast and ends up instead blocking his attack by using it horns. The beast raises its monstrous arm and swipes at Sasuke, its claws just barely missing his poncho, ripping it's ends. The ex-avenger flattens out his hand, cranking his arm back as it flashes with his chidori, he flash steps forward aiming at the beasts' chest, but it jumps up high into the air. Thinking fast, Sasuke swipes his hand upwards releasing chidori sinbon which embeds itself into the beast's skin.

It roars and lands back the ground, its large nostrils flared, starring at the human. Suddenly, it raises its large muscular arms which Sasuke can tell has chakra flowing through them. The flora around the Uchiha begins to glow, the greenery beginning to attach itself to him, wrapping around his ankles and up his legs. Large branches emerge from below as well, and wrapped up in the vines are the missing shinobi of the village, shriveled up and gray, with no form of spiritual or natural energy left in them. He feels his chakra begin to drain when one of the vines attaches itself to him, but he also notices that not all the flora bends to the beasts will. Confused, he cuts at the flowers and jumps away feeling a little weak. The beast charges forward again, head first, before it disappears only to suddenly reappear next to Sasuke, its large horn ripping through his bandaged arm.

_Fuck!_

The beast once again disappears and Sasuke notices that it actually fades away into another portal. It reappears again and tries to get at the ninja's shoulder, but he's always been a quick learner. His Rinnegan pulses and creates another portal before jumping into it just before the horns impaled him. Sasuke's Sharingan morphs into the Mangekeyo, the iris bleeding, activating the Amaterasu, his target being the beast and surrounding clearing. The black flames connect with his opponent as it roars out in pain, the flora emanating a screeching sound almost as if it were alive.

Sasuke focuses on a safe area away from the black frames, summoning yet another portal, he jumps into it, emerging back to the present time. He's free falling, calling forth a summons he jumps onto the giant hawks back instructing it to head to Konoha.

* * *

Sakura has always been acutely aware of Sasuke's movements ever since she was a genin. Somehow, someway, there's a deep instinct inside of her that tells her when he's leaving and that feeling only grows stronger when her heart beats against her chest like a drum signaling his arrival. And thus, it is that strong feeling that has her picking up the pace on her way home from a graveyard shift at the hospital. Her long legs pick up speed from a casual pace, to brisk, to a jog, until she's finally sprinting home and fumbling with her keys at the entrance.

Her apartment is dark and quiet as she stands in the middle of her living room waiting for something to happen. She hears a loud thud coming from her roof and then she is suddenly drowning in Sasuke's presence, her nerves haywire when she senses a disturbance in his chakra. There's a light plop sound from her balcony. She rushes towards it with haste seeing a dark figure slowly stand up from his crouched position. The pinkette doesn't waste time flinging her balcony doors open, letting Sasuke in, instinctively throwing his muscular arm around her shoulders allowing his large frame to lean against her small one. She leads them to her couch, settling him down against the plush pillows before she switches the living room lights on. Sakura nearly shrieks when she sees the track of blood, sees the staining of his once tan poncho which is now drenched in his blood. She doesn't waste any time, going from shock to medic mode, she drops to her knees in between his slack legs, hands glowing green as she starts to inspect him.

Her chakra seeps into his system, pink brows furrowing when she feels the muscles of his left arm torn. Getting up, she sits next to Sasuke and tears off the rest of the poncho, green eyes widening when she sees a long gash on his artificial arm that goes from his bicep all the way down to a little below his elbow. Immediately getting to work, the medic nin hovers her hands along the injury, her chakra seeping into his skin trying to mold tissue and muscle back together, saving the pale skin for last.

"What the hell happened to you?" She asks.

She's so focused on healing him that Sakura doesn't notice the way his body is lax, a little too slouchy. Concerned, she stops her flow of chakra to brace both her arms at the side of his head which is thrown back against the couch. Index and thumb open his closed eyelids finding them glazed over.

_He's lost a lot of blood..._

"Dammit Sasuke don't you dare pass out on me!"

Getting back to work, she resumes her task of healing him.

* * *

There's a chilly breeze flowing through the apartment which awakens Sasuke. He squints and hisses when the morning light pierces his irises too suddenly, gaze trying to focus on what was ahead of him. He notices that he's completely shirtless, his arm bandaged perfectly as if nothing had ever happened to him. His keen sense of smell picks up the scent of blood and when he looks down he can see the remnants on his slacks and on the tiled floor. He sits up, a groan leaving his lips when he feels the once injured arm sore to the touch. His gaze shifts over to Sakura who is slumped against the table covered in his blood, his chest filling with gratitude.

"...Sakura."

She awakens easily, remembering her as a light sleeper, "Hey how're you feeling?"

He almost flinches when he notices the dark circles under her eyes and the way the whites of her eyes were red. Whether or not it was from tiredness or the fact that she might've cried over his injuries all night left an unsettling feeling in his stomach, "Extremely sore" he responds before sighing, "Thank you..."

Sakura crawls tiredly over to him, her body sluggish, "What happened?"

Sasuke tells her of his discovery, her brows furrowed with confusion. He stops and takes in a gulp of air before sighing again, "Sorry to of bothered you." He says.

Small hands grab ahold of his large ones, "You nearly gave me a heart attack ..."

"...sorry" he whispers.

It's a bit weird to actually hear Sasuke apologize so openly now. Even when they were children, he would scoff as a matter of apologizing as if the person shouldn't have been crossed with him in the first place - but he also knew what he'd done - and yet now he actually verbalized that he'd made a mistake. It makes her heart beat just a little faster witnessing firsthand how much better he's becoming, how he's finally being the person she always knew he could be.

Sakura gives him a gentle smile, "Can I ask you for a favor?" She asks boldly.

The dark haired shinobi raises an eyebrow.

"Will you stay?"

Sasuke's eyes widen a little in disbelief that she would ask such a question. But his surprise is quickly shut down when he sees the way her gaze widens as well, her hands flailing, pink hair swaying about as she shakes her head frantically muttering that's not what she meant.

"What I mean is ... "she sighs. "Please stay and recover." She squeezes his hand. "I know you want to resume your journey but let me pass a complete clean bill of health first." The medic nin bites her lip, "Don't leave so quick like the last time ..."

Understanding washes over him, his gaze softening a bit, "Ah."

Nodding with gratitude, the pinkette rises, dusting off her skirt in an effort to gather her thoughts. "Hungry? I can make us something to eat."

His too sore shoulders shrug in a manner that's meant to seem cool and nonchalant, but in reality, her invitation to stay meant more to him than he would like to reflect at the moment, "Sure."

* * *

"You should've told me you were coming back, asshole. I'm leaving for a mission tomorrow afternoon." Naruto grumbles.

"It wasn't planned," Sasuke replies.

"Whatever." The blonde punches the dark haired man on his good arm and it takes everything inside Sasuke to not punch him back twice as hard, "Anything new?"

"There's something that I need to investigate."

"Like what?"

Dark brows furrow, "I'm not entirely sure yet." His uninjured arm touches his freshly healed bandaged arm, "But I'll figure it out."

"When are you leaving again?" His friend asks.

"Whenever Sakura thinks I'm able," he responds.

Naruto bites the inside of his cheek, "Since when do you listen to anyone?"

Onyx orbs sneer towards the jinchuriki hearing the mirth in his _friend's_ voice, fists clenching at his sides before he quickly looks away again and contemplates the exact question. "Tch."

"You better not be baiting him."

The two men shift, turning around, Sakura walks over to them. "I'll make you feel twice as bad if you ruin my work."

"What makes you think I am?" Naruto asks.

"Because Sasuke looks annoyed and ready to lunge at you."

The village hero waves a hand dismissively, "He's always like that." He snorts before continuing, "Still has that stick up his ass."

Sakura swears that she sees the ex-avengers eyes flash with his dojutsu. Not wanting them to fight over Naruto's stupid remarks, she concentrates just enough chakra into her leg making the bridge they were on rattle with the force of her stomp. That gets their attention as they stop glaring at one another, Naruto regarding her with fear and Sasuke just turns around to face the lake below. Honestly, they still acted like children, but her heart constricts with nostalgia just a little at the fond memory of her berating them when they were genin.

Her stomach growls reminding her of their plans, "You guys ready to go to dinner?"

Neither of them miss a beat. Sasuke stands upright and walks over to her with Naruto following suit. They stand at either side of her before she sighs once again at their childishness before she starts towards Ichiraku with both her boys walking into step with her.

* * *

The trio don't depart from one another till a little past midnight. Sakura hugs Naruto goodbye as she wishes him a safe return home. Sasuke observes the way the blondes arms wrap around their female team mate, observes how he brings the woman close, her body crushed into his own and the hug looks a little more familiar than he knew friends said goodbye to one another. He wonders if he and Sakura would ever be that way, but then he remembers the kiss they shared and surmises that yes, they could be that way and more if he put himself out there. But Sasuke has never been overly open and when he observes the way Naruto buries his face in the crook of her neck, he has to look away as he grits his teeth together.

Sakura and Sasuke walk home together or rather he drops her off at home. The night is humid for-telling a rain shower for the next day. When they reach her door, the rosette merely smiles and thanks him. He can see the way she wants to do more and a part of him thinks that if he just stepped a little closer to her, got into her personal space that would be enough as a silent invitation. And yet the other part of him thinks that this is Sakura and she's always worn her heart on her sleeve especially for him, but she merely pats him gently on the arm before entering her home, the click of her locking the door resonating in his ears.

Sakura may have always been overly open about her feelings, but now what he mainly receives from her is just hesitancy and Sasuke doesn't know if that makes him relieved or disappointed.

Whether he's disappointed in himself or her - he isn't sure of either.

* * *

He spends the next day and a half taking full advantage of Konoha's training grounds. With Naruto away on a mission and Sakura hauled up at the hospital, Sasuke finds that there isn't much to do. Since he's not an (official) shinobi of the village, he himself couldn't ask the Hokage for a mission. The dark haired man aims another horizontal chop to the wooden plank, his forearm buzzing with brief pain. Pink and green flashes before his mind's eye making him stop to run a hand through his hair.

Irritation bubbles in his belly when he thinks of Sakura. It isn't towards her, but mostly at himself because he's started to notice that she comes up in his thoughts a little more every day. He isn't used to thinking of others in a familiar way. All he'd known for the last decade was to imagine the different ways he'd annihilate the people on his list, and yet now he thinks of others like Naruto and if he was causing his teammates headaches, or if Kakashi would ever be free for them to train and then there was _her_.

He finds himself thinking of all the hours she works and wonders if she gets enough sleep and how she manages to have all the necessary chakra to pull all those long shifts. Sasuke is _curious_ about her and it unnerves him just a little at the intensity he feels to know more about the woman who grew up to be one of Konoha's strongest kunoichi's.

* * *

Sakura visits him later that evening with a messenger bag on her shoulder filled with medical supplies and Sasuke tries his best to not look overly relieved when the silence of his apartment is chased away by her presence. He's never had an issue with being alone, and although he isn't living in an old home in the Uchiha district, being alone in Konoha makes him antsy and opens up certain doors to memories he's been trying to suppress.

Sasuke's apartment is clean and bare of furniture besides the standard couch, bed and dresser. His kitchen contains a few cups and plates and there are no pictures lining his living room wall like at hers. He probably thought there was no point in having too many possessions in his home seeing as how he was away ninety percent of the time and even though there wasn't a single touch of his personality in his home, his apartment _feels_ like him making her stop and breath it all in. She nearly jumps when he hands her a cup of tea to which she smiles at him gratefully before making her way to his couch and settling down her pack.

Taking a sip of her warm tea she says, "I'm sorry I haven't seen you sooner. I was scheduled for surgeries."

"Ah."

The medic-nin pats the seat next to her, body hyper aware of her companions when he sits beside her, the small couch forcing them to touch. "Okay, let me see your arm."

Delicate hands place themselves on his bicep, her expert fingers massaging at his muscles and he almost wants to sigh at the relieved tension. Onyx eyes watch her every move, not because he didn't trust her, but because he seriously wanted to learn more about her and he has always learned through observation. He watches the way her emerald eyes focus on his arm, he can see the gears turning in her head, notices how she inspects every single healing cut on his arm, smirking a little when he hears her cluck her tongue when she sees the bruising of his forearm from his training earlier that day. Her chakra is warm as it flows into his body, weaving into his own network soothing any aches, pains and healing him from the inside out. If he were to compare her abilities from Karin's well he'd no doubt choose Sakura's techniques. While Karin's was all consuming in the sense that it just intruded into his body, Sakura's was soft and warm as she carefully and expertly allowed it to seep into him as if the very sun warmed him on a hot summer day.

The silence between them is comfortable, but his curiosity is eating away at him, thoroughly irritating him because he knew that he was never the kind of man to care for others personal lives, but this woman ...

"How long did it take you to learn medical ninjutsu?" He suddenly asks.

Surprised, the medic nin looks up and puts a thoughtful finger on her chin, "Well it took me about three months to jump start a body," she pauses then laughs, "I went through so many chakra scrolls."

_Ask something else_

"Was it difficult?"

"In the beginning it was. But Lady Tsunade is a tough teacher so it was non stop work for me and I got it in no time."

Sasuke scoffs, "You've always had excellent chakra control."

_Was that another compliment?_

Sakura blushes, "I could teach you ..." She looks up and regards her companion, "It'd be good to know basic medical ninjutsu while you're out there ..." Her head turns towards the window, her eyes filled with concern, pink lips frowning and brows pinched.

"...okay." He says.

Her head whips in his direction, eyes gleaming with excitement and it makes him feel nervous especially when she smiles wide. There's a voice in the back of his mind that is pleased with the fact that he made her smile. "What do I need to do?" He asks.

Delicate hands take his right hand facing it palm up, "Try to encase your hand in chakra, but focus more on your natural spiritual energy."

Sasuke does as she says trying his best to tap into his natural energy. He hears her say that clearing his mind was the best way to access that part of his network, but he couldn't focus. He had too many thoughts rampaging in his head, too many (missed) faces that popped up behind his eyelids which distracted him in actually relaxing. His soul was restless and he felt that the more he tried to walk through that threshold towards his spiritual energy, all he was met with was this dark door filled with emotions he tried to overcome on a daily basis.

Being a medic-nin came with a price in more ways than one. Your life was always on the line in the sense that although you try your very best to stay out of enemy confrontation, your top priority was to keep others alive no matter the cost, however ... what no one else seemed to realize was that it was also very intimate. After all, you are essentially pumping some of your life force into another human being and if you outsourced a lot of your energy into someone else, you'll undoubtly gain a connection with said person. Sakura tries her best to keep her face neutral as she studies Sasuke, but she was internally going insane.

Her eyes stung with the need to shed tears at the agonizing emotions she was currently experiencing thanks to him and the connection they now shared. After healing him quite significantly a few days ago, her chakra was still prominent in his network, therefore she could feel his emotions. Though she felt like crying, her fists also flex with the need to destroy something as her veins come to life with the wave of anger she felt via Sasuke. Her body trembles with this indescribable feeling to want to run for the hills and keep running until her lungs burn, to get as far away from the place she was at as fast as possible. She feels a migraine start to form at the forefront of her brain, her network in a haywire.

Onyx eyes look up into emerald, his chest tight and heart hammering against it when he feels the change in energy from his companion. Sasuke can see the way her eyes are glazed over as if she were in another world, her mind elsewhere or if she was focused on something else and not entirely present in the now. He knows the look she has, it's one he's all too familiar with.

Melancholy.

He doesn't like seeing her with that sort of look on her face. He hates the way her eyes aren't as vibrant, is bothered at the way her shoulders are a little haunched over as if she carried the weight of the world on them rather than pushed back with confidence, dislikes seeing her body tense as if she was ready to strike instead of looking carefree like he knew she could be. There's a feeling deep down in him that feels like he needs to chase away that look on her face because _he_ _knew_ that wasn't her and he _didn't_ _want_ it to be her.

Sasuke lifts his arm placing his palm against her cheek snapping Sakura out of her dazed state. She regards him with a look of familiarity and he can see his reflection in her glassy eyes. It unnerves him a little to see the way his face is softened as he looks at her, but in this moment he felt like he could let his guard down for once and so he dips his head down towards hers connecting his lips gently against hers. Her reaction is immediate as she wraps her arms around his neck pulling herself closer towards him. His heart is pounding against his chest making him feel dizzy, but his body is on autopilot when his bandaged fingers entangle themselves in her soft hair. Sakura lightly sighs and shyly opens her mouth licking the bottom of his lip. Sasuke's heart nearly skips a beat, but he opens his mouth to her as well, their tongues touching tentatively, experimentally until she finally grows restless of their game, tugging at his dark locks and bites his bottom lip gently making him groan.

His body feels heavy and he doesn't realize he's pushed her back onto the couch until he hears her whisper his name in between kisses. He looks directly into her eyes which are now the bright shade of green he's so used to seeing. _She's back_. Her cheeks are dusted with a light shade of pink, her chest heaving as she tries to catch her breath and its in that moment that he sees her as something far more to him than a friend. She's always been special, but when his lips touch hers his body heats up and burns hotter than any katon he's ever produced in his lifetime. He feels a need to touch her and be near her, his body beginning to crave her presence a little more each day which to be honest, confuses him because they don't interact often. And yet none of that matters because even though she doesn't say much about how she feels about him, her body and actions speak volumes.

He _knows_.

The sudden roller coaster of emotions has him tired. With a sigh, he pecks her on the lips softly again before lifting himself off her as he runs a hand through his hair. Sakura watches him closely, her inner swooning at the way he tries to calm himself down before she too straightens touching her lips tentatively. They sit next to one another a bit awkwardly at first, unsure of how to speak to one another after such a heated moment. It isn't until she hears Sasuke sigh and feels the light pull of his arm wrapping around her shoulders as he tugs her against his side that has her stiffening like a frightened bunny before she relaxes in his hold.

It's silent and in no time the energy between them lightens settling into a peaceful calm making Sasuke close his eyes and surrender to it, his soul feeling the most tranquil it has ever been in years.

He thinks that there's no point in fighting it anymore. He wants her.

And if it happens between them then he'd let it.

* * *

A/N: Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday, here's a nice long chapter filled with fluff to get you guys in a happy mood for the first Monday of the new year ... yay ..! lol Being back at work sucks. Any who, please leave a review letting me know your thoughts, as always, they're greatly appreciated. I'll come back and edit this later when I get the chance.


	20. Chapter 20

_I want you to be happy, little brother, no matter what you do, I will always love you. _

Sakura wakes up the next day with an ache in her neck thanks to falling asleep on the couch next to Sasuke. She watches him closely, his chest rising and falling with every steady breath he takes, lips relaxed, eyelids moving rapidly caught in what seemed like a very intense dream. His arm was wrapped at the back of the couch, his body straight, neck in an uncomfortable position which she's sure will ache when he comes to. She'd slept beside him in the same position, her body pressed against his side and although her neck felt pinched, she hasn't slept peacefully like last night in a long time.

Rubbing the tiredness from her face, she slowly gets up trying her best to not awaken her companion except that Sasuke has always been a very light sleeper and when she takes a step away from him, she can feel his eyes at her back. Turning slowly, she smiles apologetically, her breath hitching at the look he was giving her. His eyes are low from sleepiness, but she can see something else in them, something like a sort of clarity, but when he blinks it's gone replaced by his ever famous poker face.

"Today's my day off," she blurts.

Sasuke raises a questioning eyebrow. Sakura coughs into her hand nervously, "What I mean is," she takes a breath, "Wanna hangout?"

Sasuke just shrugs his shoulders and Sakura smiles.

They spend the day by a nearby river, one that Team Seven used to frequently visit on their days off. "We really were pretty close as kids, weren't we?" Sakura blurts.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asks.

"Well, you used to be so obsessed with training back then and yet you spent your time with us most of the time."

Sasuke doesn't comment, onyx eyes regarding the blue sky. It was a semi sunny day in Konoha, the spring breeze warm, sun disappearing every now and then behind the sporadic clouds, the shade cooling their skin when the sunshine lingered too long. The duo sits on a blue blanket that Sakura found in her closet, bento boxes empty from the lunch they purchased at a restaurant. They sit side by side, arms holding them up, pinky fingers just shy of touching. Green eyes shift towards Sasuke, watching him closely. He's still looking up to the sky, he sighs and opens his mouth as if to say something, but shuts it immediately, lips forming a thin line as he gathered his thoughts.

"Sometimes I felt like I could let go," he says.

"What do you mean?"

"It felt ... _good_ to be a kid instead of feeling like I had the world on my shoulders."

Sakura doesn't comment, letting her memories of their preteen years take her back to easier days. Heart tightening at the times Sasuke would yell at them, barking at them to leave him be. She understood now, more than ever, that those times of bitterness that came from him wasn't because she and Naruto annoyed him, but because he felt _guilty_ for letting himself have something. She hears him shift, the skin of his arm brushing against hers as he lies down on the blanket, one arm tucked underneath his head.

His other arm is still outstretched towards her, not having any words to say she places her hand on top of his. "I missed you," she says as a blush forms on her cheeks. Taking a deep breath she adds, "I'm glad you came back ..."

There's a pregnant pause as they stare at one another before Sasuke blinks, turning his palm up letting her hand rest against his, her gentle fingers trace the lines of his palm sending shivers up his arm before she loosely holds onto his wrist, his own fingers wrapping around hers. Sakura sighs and smiles, the pulsing of his wrists veins making her feel alive as the two of them quietly enjoy the blossoming Spring.

* * *

The next day Sakura takes a quick mission to the Flower Village just south of Konoha. The medic-nin gathers herbs and restocks on aloe and other plants the hospital was running low on. Sakura also stops by their local clinic to do a quick continuing education class for the medics in the village which they then show their gratitude by bestowing her an exotic plant that was used to make healing ointments. She smiles at the head doctor, thanking her as she puts the flora in her medic bag. It's just about sundown when she's done and as she walks towards the village's entrance, she spots a couple taking a stroll as they held hands with the male whispering things in the girls ear making her giggle. Her thoughts drift off to the dark haired man that has had her heart since forever, the happiness of knowing he was in the village motivating her to up her pace on her way back home.

She gets back home a little past midnight, legs tired, and stomach growling. She's much too tired to cook anything, throat parched, Sakura goes into the fridge for a glass of water only to be surprised when a bento box sits in the middle of her half empty refrigerator with a note on top:

_For yesterday. _

_-S_

Warmth spreads throughout her body at Sasuke's thoughtfulness, but it's only when she opens the box and sees her favorite childhood dish neatly packed in the contents, that her lips split into a huge grin. Taking a bite out of the vegetables, she sighs and sends out a silent thank you to the wind.

* * *

They meet at training ground four the next day. Sasuke is already there and waiting, stretching out his arms when Sakura walks into the vicinity. She tries her best to not let her eyes linger on his muscles, her heart racing with excitement as she thinks about the spar she's about to have with him, though she is a bit nervous. She's trained with every member of the Rookie Nine, other sensei's and fought many battles, but she's never faced Sasuke head on or at least in a friendly duel. She thinks about the time they first ran into one another at Orochimaru's hideout and wonders what the outcome of that would have been. Would he of killed her? Would she of been able to punch his lights out? Sakura tries to repress the shudder that threatens to shake her as she remembers all the other times they faced one another, but today is different.

They're friends now and she doesn't have to worry about the two of them killing each other.

When Sasuke's eyes land on the pinkette, he nearly chokes. He remembers her as the little genin of their youth, small with a boyish body, awkward even; but now she has erased any memory of the girl she once was. His eyes slowly roam her body from top to bottom, noticing her flat abs thanks to the black crop top she was currently wearing, his ever observant eyes also catch a glimpse of a scar on her abdomen, her legs are covered by black training pants but he can tell that they're muscular and powerful with every step she takes. Adrenaline runs through his veins, he's never fought someone like her, his previous opponents had always been well versed in ninjutsu, but Sakura was a close combat kunoichi and although he witnessed what he knew to be but a glimpse of her power when they fought alongside one another, something told him that she was capable of much more than she let on; and the prospect of fighting someone new excited him.

"Hi sorry I'm late," she says.

"You pick that up from Kakashi?" He replies.

Sakura's face reddens. _Did he just make a joke?_ "No! I just - any restrictions?"

Sasuke shrugs, "Don't have any."

"Neither do I," she replies.

There's a moment of silence between the two shinobi as they each size the other one up. Sasuke shifts his feet in a offensive position while Sakura flexes her knuckles; the area is quiet, peaceful even. A leaf gently falls in between them and it's then when the rosette makes the first move as she charges towards the dark haired man. His stance widens, hip width apart as he swiftly unsheathes his katana to block her attack. Their weapons meet in a loud clash of metal against metal with both of them staring the other one down.

"Don't go easy on me," Sakura says.

Sasuke smirks at her before channeling a stream of chidori through his blade making it transparent as it glides through her kunai making the kunoichi stumble forward, but she's always been quick, she covers her hand in blue chakra wrapping it around the blade surprising him. Taking a firm hold of his Kusangi, she pulls hard enough that he's forced to let go as she throws the blade behind her, the loud _THWACK_ resounding throughout the training ground when it hits a tree some feet away from them. Now that he was weaponless, Sakura throws a series of punches his way which he blocks with his forearms. Sasuke crouches low, spinning at a 180 degrees trying to swipe her feet from beneath her forcing her to jump up to avoid his counterattack, but he recovers quickly standing back up to deliver a hard kick towards her center which she blocks by making an X across her body sending her flying backwards. She lands on the ground gracefully, feet skidding across the training ground creating a small cloud of dirt around her.

When it all settles, onyx and jade regard one another closely before the two shinobi once again run towards one another and meet with fists and kicks. Sasuke is impressed to say the least, Sakura's skills have definitely improved throughout the years and he knows that he'll be bruised up by the end of their spar due to her unusual strength. He remembers from their youth how strong she was for a girl and that was before she had even begun studying with Tsunade, and he doubts that the force he feels behind her attacks are laced with any sort of chakra - he's sure that he'd be dead by now if they were. The ex-avenger suddenly flickers out of her view using his speed to an advantage, he twists her arm backwards making her hiss out in pain.

"Yield," he whispers in her ear.

Suppressing the shudder that runs through her at his deep voice, Sakura winds her other arm behind the back of his neck and with her strength, she bends forward using his weight against him to propel him forward, body slamming him into the ground before her all while twisting her trapped wrist out of his hold and squeezing his hand just enough to inflect a bit of pain.

Dark eyes look up into green, his chest rising and falling trying to catch the breath that was just knocked out of him. Irritation bubbles in his belly when he sees her grin above him.

"I think maybe you should yield," she mockingly says.

The familiar itch behind his eyes causes him to activate his dojutsu and he almost smirks at the sharp breath the pinkette takes. She jumps away from him when he rocket jumps back up. "This isn't over yet, Sakura."

"I'm ready," she says.

_Poof! _

The two shinobi straighten from their offensive positions. When the smoke clears, a little slug appears before them. "Sakura, you're needed at the hospital immediately."

"Is everything okay, Yuki?"

The slimy creature wiggles it's antennas, "It's an emergency. Class ten."

Green eyes widen before she regards her male companion with an apologetic look, "Sorry Sasuke, maybe next time. I gotta go." Her hands come together to perform the basic teleportation sign before she disappears in a puff of smoke along with the slug.

He stands there, hands balled up into fists, his heart pounding against his chest. The adrenaline he was feeling slowly ebbing away, but her words resonate within him reminding him of Itachi. It disturbs him for a moment, but he tries to not let it get to him too much. Deactivating his eyes, he makes his way out of the training grounds.

Maybe he'll find Naruto.

* * *

He isn't actively looking for the village hero, instead he ends up running into him and his wife while walking down one of the quieter streets of Konoha. It's the first time that Sasuke is seeing them together, it would be a lie if he didn't say that he was happy for his best friend because now he finally has the chance to make a family of his own.

"Dobe," he greets.

Naruto puffs out his chest, "Asshole."

"...Dear," Hinata berates quietly.

The back of his neck reddens as he regards his wife, "He started it."

Sasuke scoffs.

"Hello, Sasuke. It's nice to see you." The dark haired man gives a small nod towards Hinata. "Would you like to join us? We're getting some tea."

He raises a dark eyebrow in question, disbelief on his face, but he shakes his head no, "I'll pass." Giving them one last nod, Sasuke continues on his walk.

"I'll find you later," Naruto yells after him.

* * *

A small brown haired woman helps wipe off the sweat off of Sakura's brow. Her hands are laced with green chakra pouring it into the unknown man before her. She remembers seeing him about a handful of times around the village, never actually having a clue that he was ANBU. Her brows pinch together in concentration as she tries to heal his left shoulder which was nearly cut right off by what she could conclude to be a windmill shurikan. Her eyes peak over towards her right where Tsunade was currently working on another ANBU who had came back with a broken leg and near third degree burns. The female of the group had came back with lacerations all along her body as if someone had whipped her senseless, Shizune was currently doing a blood transfusion on the woman.

_What the hell happened?_

Sakura knew that ANBU had the most dangerous missions, but it wasn't till she became Tsunade's apprentice that she realized just how life threatening these missions were. Green eyes roam over her patients body, heart constricting, this guy reminded her of Sasuke. Though they looked nothing alike, it was the thought of this man possibly having a significant other, a family - and he was putting his life on the line for the village and no one but his family and those of high authority would ever know what he did. Her thoughts drift towards Itachi, remembering the heart breaking truth about his life makes her eyes water.

Was that what Sasuke was doing? Was that what he wanted? To be the villages vigilante, the shadow that hunts for the evil while the rest of the world lived in the blissful light? Sakura knew that Sasuke sought out repentance for everything that he had done, but there's a fine line between seeking forgiveness and punishment. She was no stranger to the martyr role, but she also knew that he deserved better, deserved to live and even though she may be a bit biased because she loved him; something told her that Itachi would agree.

"Sakura, are you okay?"

The pinkette jumps, too consumed in her thoughts to hear someone calling out to her. She notices the droplets on her patients face, embarrassed that she would cry in front of others while on the job. She nods towards her assistant, green eyes closing as she takes in a deep breath pushing away all her distracting thoughts and focuses on healing the ninja before her.

* * *

"I brought sake," Naruto says.

Sasuke raises a dark eyebrow, sighing, he lets his friend into his apartment. "I didn't know you drank."

"Not all the time," _POP!_ "But it's not everyday that I can share a drink with you." The blonde says holding out a small cup, "Cheers!"

The two men clink their cups together. Dark eyes observe his friend closely noticing the happiness that radiates off him in immense waves, no doubt from being married. Curious he asks, "How's married life treating you?"

Azure orbs look up before a large smile splits the blondes face, "Great! Except that I still don't understand her ..." Sasuke snorts before gulping down another cup, "Oi don't act like you know anything about women you bastard."

Dark brows furrow when Sakura comes to the forefront of his mind, "Whatever."

"On a more serious note, what the hell happened to you when you came back?"

"I went to another dimension and was attacked," Sasuke replies.

"Dimension? What's going on?"

"I'd come across a rumor about shinobi disappearing by the Tenchi Bridge so I went to investigate and saw a newly formed portal."

Naruto grips his cup tightly, "You can't be serious. Do you think -"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out."

_Knock knock _

Standing, Sasuke makes his way over to his front door, "Hey."

Sakura gives him a small smile, "Hi. Can I come in?"

He stands to the side in silent invitation, the smell of the hospital still lingers on her clothes making his nose wrinkle, but it isn't until their eyes made contact with one another that he realizes something is wrong.

"Hey, Sakura!"

"Hey, Naruto." She turns towards Sasuke, "I'm sorry I didn't know you had company."

"Ah, it's just Naruto."

"Oi!"

"I'll come back another time," she says before turning away.

"Wait what? Stay!" The blonde yells.

"Sakura."

Shoulders shaking the pinkette shakes her head furiously, "I just don't understand ..."

"Understand what?" Naruto asks.

"Why, Sasuke...?" Dark brows furrow not liking the energy that she was emitting. His gaze stays trained to the circle on her back noticing the tenseness of her shoulders. "How much longer will you keep punishing yourself?"

Sasuke takes in a sharp breath knowing full well what she was referring to. Naruto gets up from his seat, making his way over to their female companion, he grabs ahold of her hands. Viridian and azure connect making Naruto's heart ache at the look of sadness littered across her face.

"I know that you're searching for redemption, but when are you going to realize that you'll only find it when you allow yourself?"

"He _has_ found it, Sak. He's out there looking -"

"_Naruto_," Sasuke hisses.

Heart thundering against her chest, she turns around to face her heartache, "Out there looking for what? Another secret the two of you are hid -" Green eyes widen zeroing in on his now healed arm. " - You're looking for whatever did that to you aren't you?"

"He can handle it," the blonde whispers.

Anger flows through the rosette, "Is that your answer? You didn't see him!" Her long legs walk over towards the dark haired man, "You scare me."

Dark eyes look into sea-foam green. He can see the hurt in her eyes, the worry and anger, the _love_ and it's too much for him to handle. He'd gotten much too comfortable being in the village, had let himself get too near her too fast. His hands ball up into fists, head pounding, chest tightening because although he knew what he had to do for the sake of the village - for Itachi's dream - he also knew that she was right, but he just couldn't. Before he even realizes it, Sakura is rising up on her tiptoes, small hands gripping his large biceps, lips pressing against his.

"What the ..." Naruto blurts.

Sasuke closes his eyes for a brief moment, opening them the next second to witness the tears rolling down her face. Her eyes tentatively open as she pulls away she whispers, "I can't ..." Sakura takes one step back, "I don't want to lose you again." Another step backwards, "I love you but -"

Her words fall on deaf ears. The moment Sakura said that she couldn't - or rather the moment he saw her inner turmoil - Sasuke knew that this had all been a mistake. Why did he ever think that she would wait for him? He's suddenly angry, he never even asked her, she brought this upon herself! Betrayal shoots through him next, as he thought that maybe they were through playing games with one another and yet a part of him is disappointed that this has all come to an end ...

Anger wins in the end, onyx eyes narrowing, "I never asked you to wait for me," he says.

Sakura laughs, "I knew you'd say that." She takes in a deep breath composing herself she adds, "I hope you find what you're looking for." Turning, she makes her way out of his colorless and lifeless apartment slamming the door behind her.

"Wait!" Naruto yells. "What the fuck, Sasuke!?" The kyubbi vessel walks up to his rival grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "When were you going to tell me -" Blue eyes widen noticing the way his friends jaw was so tightly clenched, hands balled up into fists to the point he was closing off his circulation, " ... Sasuke you ..." He blinks with disbelief, "Go after her!"

"Why?"

"What do you mean why!? You -"

"She's a distraction -"

_(Liar ..._

" - I never asked her to wait -"

_Even though I thought she would ...)_

"A _friend_ -" He stumbles backwards, bandaged hand gripping his jaw.

"Bullshit," Naruto growls. "You can't lie to me, bastard." Turning on his heel, the village hero makes his way out of the apartment not before adding, "You're never going to learn."

He closes the door behind him, the soft click ringing in Sasuke's ears long after they've left so he does what he knows best; packing his bag, the dark haired shinobi leaves the village ten minutes later with the notion of getting as far away as possible.

_I can't. _

_This is too much. _

_I'm sorry ..._

* * *

A/N: uh hi? yes, i am alive my friends. my sincerest apologies for being away for so long, life has been very hectic lately and i'm just trying to get through things one day at a time. i'm sorry if this chapter seemed very slow paced and a little all over the place, but i wanted to at least get something up for you guys considering how long it's been. i have a lot of thinking to do in terms of how i'm going to outline this story from now on. i want my readers to know that i do plan on finishing this story, i just ask that you bare with me. i want to remind you all that this story will be a _journey_ therefore it could possibly be a while before we get to any smut. i want to explore their relationship on a greater scale seeing as how Kishi totally deprived us of that lol

again, thank you all so much for sticking with me thus far, i appreciate you all. please leave a review letting me know your thoughts, it'll help my writing process.


	21. Chapter 21

"You need to get out and meet people, forehead," Ino says.

Sakura sighs, "That's not exactly at the top of my list."

"Then get over yourself and write to him."

The pinkette's eyebrow twitches, "Careful Pig." Her hands tighten around her tea cup as she lets out a slow breath, "You didn't see him when I left."

Ino rolls her eyes, "If you ask me, I think you're both being dramatic." She puts her hand on top of her friends. "Look, I know the two of you have a ...complicated ... relationship, but you love him and it's obvious he feels something for you so just reach out to him."

"I can't always be the one putting myself out there," Sakura whispers.

The blonde beauty sits back in her seat, "That's true." She says as she crosses her arms, "So what're you going to do?"

There's a pregnant pause between the two woman. It's been just about a month since she left Sasuke's apartment. Sakura wasn't surprised to find out that he'd left the same night, but that didn't mean that she wasn't disappointed. She thought that they'd come to an understanding, but then again wasn't she the one who said that she couldn't be with him? He had no reason to stay. She didn't give him a reason to stay. Her fear of losing him had won over, her selfishness had pushed him away.

The medic nin starts to feel the incoming effects of a migraine and with an apologetic smile, Sakura thanks Ino for the tea and places enough money for the both of them on the table before excusing herself. Walking out the tea shop, body on autopilot she walks through the sea of civilians towards an unknown destination. Over the past month she's worked herself to the bone in order for her to not dwell on what happened the night she left Sasuke's apartment, but he's always been the enigma that doesn't go away so she's had good and bad days. There's a part of her that wishes he hadn't come back because now she's had the pleasure of getting to know him, and she loves everything she's discovered about him thus far, she's seen how much better he is and it fills her heart with happiness.

And yet even with all that, now her heart aches because Sakura has seen the man she always knew he was and he's beautiful, so much so that she misses him more than ever, more than when he left her at twelve, and more than when he left her on his journey. Sakura isn't stupid, she knows that somewhere deep down inside, she means something to Sasuke and knowing that fact alone doesn't make things any easier. She wonders if he's thinking about her and what transpired between them that night, but she figures that it isn't healthy to think about things she's trying to get over and so she makes the decision to throw herself into missions that'll keep her busy.

* * *

Sasuke grips his dark dark hair tightly in between long fingers, eyes shut tight at the intense migraine he feels due to the strain of his eyes. There were moments where he was grateful for having his dojutsu, but in moments like these he curses his families' legacy for having it. His body is fatigued from using his Rinnegan whilst traveling through different dimensions in search of answers from the beast that attacked him and unfortunately he hasn't found anything. He sits underneath a large tree, it's shade covering him from the harsh summer sun while he tries to rub the blurriness from his vision. There's a brief flash of an old memory he has of the time on the Samurai bridge when he was plunged into darkness, his Eternal Mangekyou strained after fighting Danzo. He remembers trying to rub the blurriness from his eyes and only making out Team Seven -

\- only making out _her. _

"Stop," he mutters to no one in particular.

He doesn't want to think about the sole woman in all of Konoha with the vibrant pink hair and green eyes the color of emeralds. If Sasuke was honest with himself, Sakura scared him because after allowing himself to be nothing but empty all these years, she stirs feelings within him he hadn't felt in a very long time.

It isn't exactly love, but there's something there for her for sure. Being with Sakura was easy and natural, though she was chatty and clingy when they were children, she was the most stable thing in his adolescence. He wasn't lying to her when he said that he was grateful for her love because it was true - despite his attitude, despite his fledging anger, despite being alone - she was always there to prove him wrong.

_Just like she promised that night._

She'd always been there to take care of him even though he only ever rewarded her with nothing but cold heartedness. He thinks about the morning after he was brought back to the village after his near fatal fight with Naruto.

_Every cell within him hurt, reminding him of the first time he'd activated Susano-o, but this time the pain was three times worse. His eyelids were heavy from fatigue, vision somewhat blurry, right eye still a little closed up due to the many punches to the face thanks to Naruto. Sasuke tries to get up, but his body screams pain and it takes everything within him to not groan out loud. _

_His peripheral vision catches a tuff of pink hair, throat growing tight at the site of seeing Sakura slumped against his hospital bed seemingly exhausted. The dark haired man grits his teeth, she would never stop it seems. When they were at the (now destroyed) Valley of the End, he'd meant his apology towards her, but he still wasn't completely ready to face her. He knew that Naruto and Kakashi could handle his famous temperament, but Sakura was always the sensitive one of their team, and he knew that their bond would be the hardest to mend. _

"Stop it," he says out loud.

"Well look what I found."

Onyx eyes look up towards the unknown voice. A large man with brown hair and a scar across his cheek stands before Sasuke. The loud thud of the mans ax being placed on the soft grass kicks up some strands of leaves as the weight of his weapon sinks into the earth. "It must be my lucky day," he snorts. In a flash, the burly man raises his mighty axe swinging it towards Sasuke only for a cloud of smoke to appear, followed by the soft thud of a log falling in his place.

The Uchiha stands behind his assailant as he turns around, the man easily swinging the axe up on to his shoulder making it seem like it weighed nothing. "You're fast," the man says with a toothy grin.

"Leave," Sasuke says.

The man shakes his head, "Sorry can't do that." Hazel eyes narrow towards the dark haired shinobi, "You've got a pretty big bounty on you and I'd like to cash it."

He still has a migraine, but Sasuke flexes his knuckles with anticipation nonetheless. Perhaps this fight is just what he needed to relieve some stress. His pale hand grabs the hilt of his sword, taking it out ever so slowly from its sheath, the smooth sound of the metal scrapping against it fuels him and it's almost a welcome relief because this is who he is:

Uchiha Sasuke the ruthless shinobi that asks for no names, rather he takes them and savors in their anguish.

The corner of his mouth lifts into a dangerous smirk, his kusangi now unsheathed as it gleams in the brilliant sun.

The blood rushes in his veins.

His hand tightens around the hilt.

He thinks about the thousand different ways to take the mans life -

_You're a good man, Sasuke whether you like to believe it or not. _

_\- _thinks about the different ways to handicap the man ...

His opponents chakra flares as he charges forward towards the raven haired man.

He is Uchiha Sasuke the ...

* * *

"There, all better," Sakura says

Akamaru barks and licks her face affectionately, "Thanks Sakura." Kiba grunts.

"How're you feeling?" She asks.

"I'll be okay," he replies. "Damn nin caught me off guard."

"Well it's a good thing Akamaru is here," she says while petting his head.

"I'm sorry Kiba, I should've seen that shurikan coming towards you," Hinata says.

The dog handler shakes his head, "It's fine. We were all a little occupied."

"We should get going. The next village is just ten miles east of here," the pinkette comments.

Kiba and Hinata nod their heads as Ackamaru crouches low to the ground so his master could get on top. They head east towards a village on the boarder of Fire Country. The trip is quick and they arrive a little before sundown, checking into a motel.

"I'll go do a quick surveillance," pearl eyes connect with emerald, "I'll be right back."

Sighing, Sakura makes herself comfortable on the floor as she removes her medic pouch from her hip, opening its contents in order to do a supply check. Next, she scans her own body for any injuries she might've sustained during the altercation between her team and the rogue ninja they'd encountered.

She's just about done when Hinata walks back into the room, "I'm sorry did I disturb you?"

"No, not at all."

The dark haired woman sits in front of her friend, "Could I ask you something?" She says nervously.

Sakura raises a delicate eyebrow, "What's up?"

"Do you think you could scan my body?" A furious blush makes itself known on the Hyuga heiress' cheeks, "We ... Naruto and I - we talked about having kids and I just -"

The pinkette places a gentle hand on top of her friend's, "I'm sure you're perfectly healthy."

"But that day with Pein ..."

Sakura squeezes her hand, "I know." She closes her eyes and concentrates on moving her chakra through their linked hands, weaving her energy through her friend's system, but she doesn't sense anything abnormal. "You're all clear, but when we get back we'll run some more thorough tests okay?"

Hinata smiles, "Okay. Thank you."

* * *

It's late when Sasuke makes it to a nearby village. He's tired, bloodied and frustrated with himself. He pays the inn keeper a little extra then he needs to in order for the manager to accept him as he was which pays off when the old man merely nods and gives him a room key without question. When he makes it to his room, Sasuke goes straight to the bathroom and strips off his clothes leaving his sword nearby. The water is warm and he sighs with relief as it cascades down his body, washing away the soil and blood.

_"I'm a little disappointed, I thought you'd put up more of a fight." _

_The assailant was skilled and despite his huge stature, he kept up with the avenger fairly well which made their fight all the more challenging. He had a similar combat style to Sasuke which made him go towards more of the defensive side and his mighty axe was a force to be reckoned with. They exchanged numerous blows further fueling Sasuke's adrenaline. _

_Though the mans speed was great, Sasuke was still faster as he flash stepped towards the bounty hunter throwing chidori senbon effectively hitting the pressure points in the mans legs and arms slowing him down. Once in close enough range, his Sharingan spins, trapping the man in a genjutsu. _

With a click of his of tongue, he turns the knob to the shower off, wrapping a towel around his waist he steps out the bathroom and walks towards the bed taking a seat.

It'd been too long since he's had a challenge. Too long since someone has made him think outside the box to win a fight. Too much on his mind. Too much frustration. The raven haired shinobi was never the kind of man that actively looked for powerful opponents, but fighting was all he ever knew so whenever he did find someone worthy enough to go against him, he relished it.

In the end, his frustration got the best of him which in turn lead to Sasuke cutting off the guys hand, his axe falling to the ground with a heavy thud.

"_Fuck!" The man yells. _

_Sharinnegan eyes stare down his opponent, his kusangi poised at the mans chin, "I told you to leave." _

_"He-he," the man laughs tiredly. "You're gonna finish me off or what?"_

_Sasuke's bicep twitches. _

_'How much longer will you keep punishing yourself?'_

Dark brows furrow.

_'No matter what you do, I will always love you.'_

_'I know you're searching for redemption, but you'll only find it if you allow yourself to...'_

_"Oi! You piece of shit shinobi, do it already!" _

_"Tch," The raven haired ninja channels his chidori nagashi throw the blade at medium power just enough to render the man unconscious. _

He'd almost gone too far, he was on the brink of inflicting even more severe bodily harm to the unknown ninga and it's the fact that he's let himself get to that point, extremely frustrated and bothered him greatly. Has he grown so little in his time away? Was he still so quick to turn to power in order to assert dominance? Letting out a slow breath, Sasuke goes into his satchel and pulls out his spare clothes, changing into them he lays on the bed turning on his right side facing the wall.

_Sakura was fast asleep on the bedside next to him, Sasuke couldn't understand how in the world she could let her guard down next to someone like him. He would never understand her thought process when it came down to him and yet somehow, after finally being able to begin to let go of everything dark that had ever consumed him; he found himself being thankful that this part of his adolescence - the happy part - still remained the same. He places his now bandaged hand softy on the crown of her head, a soft twitch to his lip as he silently thanks her sleeping figure. _

"No," he says out loud. A couple of minutes go by, the quietness to his room seeping into him wholeheartedly.

_"I should have been a better friend to you," Sakura says._

Another three minutes goes by, he blinks before hestares at his bandaged hand.

_He can almost feel the steady flow of her chakra soothing his blown off arm. There's something he needs to tell her. "I'm sorry, Sakura."_

"Stop," he growls, curling bandaged fingers into a fist.

_He can see the way she's trying to hold back her tears, "For what?"_

"Please stop."

_"For everything up until now," he croaks. _

Sasuke shuts his eyes and throws the hotel pillow over his head.

_There's no stopping the tears that fall down her face, "You jerk. You better be." Sakura sobs. _

"...enough!"

Sleep doesn't come to Sasuke until the sun slowly started to rise over the mountains, and the sky was a brilliant lavender.

* * *

An anonymous tip had them running towards the next village approximately one hundred and twenty miles away. They left their room in the middle of the night having only had but a few hours of rest, but their target had skillfully evaded them once before, therefore they couldn't pass up this chance. They're about twenty miles away from their destination when they pass a hill top, the area is destroyed and there are remnants of blood stains on the grass. Kiba and Hinata scan the area for any danger, but upon sensing nothing, they continue moving forward keeping in mind that a threat could still be looming nearby.

* * *

A/N: so, i really wanted to explore Sasuke's thought process during this time because i feel like I've only ever shown Sakura's POV and I feel like its important to show that although he's away on his journey, he is still human and he can't just turn over a new leaf within a certain amount of time. please leave a review letting me know your thoughts, i sincerely appreciate it.


	22. Chapter 22

A man with light blue hair slides a scroll across the wooden table, his companion, a brunette woman, goes to grab it but the man pulls it out of her grasp the last second. "I better be compensated heavily for this."

The woman's hazel eyes narrow, "I think I've given you more than enough," she hisses.

"I've been _spying_ for a noble family that my family has served for years and now _Konoha_ is after my ass." He leans forward just enough that the two are a breath apart, "Do you honestly think that's enough?"

A slender leg runs up the mans calve, "I can think of a few other things to give you."

He smirks, "Naughty girl. How'd I get so lucky?"

"We were just at the right place at the right time." Feminine eyes harden, "They'll pay for disowning me." She says before her skillful fingers take the scroll away from her companion.

"Looks like it's a coup," Sakura whispers into her mic.

"There's about fifteen guards patrolling the area. Please be careful." Hinata answers while perched on the building next door, Byuakugan activated.

"Akamaru and I will take care of it, just point us in the right direction. In the meantime, you handle the target, Sakura."

"Copy."

The conspirators get up to leave making their exit out the bar, their destination making Sakura roll her eyes when they enter a motel. Sighing, she follows behind them with shinobi stealth and wastes no time entering the room, making quick work of the woman with senbon laced with a sedative.

"Fuck." The man curses.

"Your lucks run out," Sakura says.

"I'm not caught yet," he replies before throwing a series of shurikan the pinkettes way. She quickly steps to the right, easily dodging them. There's a crash in the room, Sakura notices at the last second that her target jumped out the window. She jumps after him, but not before leaving a clone of herself behind in case the woman came to. The original runs after the man, but once they turn left down an alleyway, Akamaru is already waiting, teeth bared and snarling; Hinata right behind him. Taking his shock to her advantage, Sakura flash steps behind him and knocks him out.

"Nice!" Hinata praises.

"Woof!"

The medic-nin sighs, "What a pain in the ass." She presses her fingers against her earlobe, "All good on your end, Kiba?"

"Of course. I'm making my way over to you now," he replies.

Thirty minutes later, Sakura and her team are making their way out the village with both traitors in custody. "This is all your fucking fault you bitch!"

"You're the one who was followed!"

"Think you can numb their mouths, Sakura?" Kiba snarls.

"Sounds like a good idea," she responds.

They're just about at the village gates when a hoard of villagers run past them screaming.

"What the fuck are you looking at!?"

"N-nothing! Please just leave. The meal is on me!"

"You'll show me some damn respect you little shit!"

The villagers scream out in horror.

The medic nin flash steps towards the altercation, her left arm extending upwards effectively catching the mighty weapon that was about to cut a civilian in two. "Is there a problem?" She growls as the restaurant owner scurries away.

Wild eyes stare down at the woman before him, "What the -" Shock morphes into clarity. "You Konoha ninja are everywhere."

Pink brows furrow with confusion, "Excuse me?"

"I wasn't able to get his bounty, but you're just as valuable." The brutish man applies more pressure against his weapon, forcing Sakura's arm to bend in the slightest under its weight. Viridian orbs access her situation. Clearly this man was insane and by the looks of it he was freshly injured. With a click of her tongue, she steps to the side letting the weapon hit the floor with a mighty thud, the movement causing him to lean forward and it is then when the kunoichi lands a swift uppercut to his jaw effectively knocking him out.

Curiosity gets the better of her as she crouches low to pick up the small bingo book that slid out of the mans pocket. She quickly flips through it, sees many unfamiliar shinobi faces, but when her eyes land on Sasuke's photo her heart skips a beat.

_I wasn't able to get his bounty, but you're just as valuable. _

There is a photo of Naruto as well, then hers. Petite hands grasp the book tightly as a million thoughts fly by her minds eye. Whoever this bounty hunter was couldn't of possibly been speaking about Naruto because he was in the village so the only other logical choice was Sasuke. She looks down towards the unconscious man, noticing the poor job he did at patching himself up. Could it of been Sasuke that injured him this way and if so what happened? Her gaze shifts from him to the photo of Sasuke then towards the village gates.

_Please be okay ..._

* * *

Summer simmers away into fall and Sasuke is a mess of conflicting emotions. He reads his most recent letter from Naruto, tense fingers curling into the pages before he crumbles it up and throws it across the room.

_YOU BETTER COME BACK AND FIX THIS, BASTARD! _

_"_Tch_," _Sasukefalls back onto his bed, dark eyes starring up towards the ceiling in thought. He's received three letters from the dobe since his departure and every single one of them gives him a headache.

He knows, however, that Naruto is right.

Every letter, his best friend mentions the bonds that Team Seven shares and how his stupidity is putting a dent on all they've worked on. And it's true. Sasuke would never admit it, but the idiot had a point, but why should he fix something that he hadn't broken to begin with? Sakura was the one that ended their ... relationship? He'd been stupid enough to fall for her lies and yet whenever he thinks of her, his heart beats just a little faster - not in anger - but in something more that he doesn't quite understand.

Tonight his mind plagues him of his younger years: like the time they all walked dogs, to helping plant vegetables, and even the one where he and Naruto were stuck together. This memory in particular makes the corner of his mouth lift upwards into a half smile as he recalls the genius plan they came up with to rescue Sakura. Dark brows furrow, all his memories from being a genin end with her and it frustrates him to no end. He doesn't want to think about all the fun times they shared, of all the times he's seen her cry due to her concern over him, and least of all; he doesn't want to remember the feel of her lips against his. But he does. In vivid memory. And he doesn't know what to do.

Mental fatigue gets the better of him and he falls asleep. That night he dreams of the Itachi that he adored as a child. They walk along the streets of Konoha hand in hand towards an unknown destination. When he asks his brother about where they are heading, Itachi merely smiles and tells him that it's a secret. After what seemed like forever, they make it to the Hokage Tower, but before Sasuke can question, he is already being dragged up the long flight of stairs that seem almost endless. They make it up to the office, Itachi's knuckles knock on the door and a muffled, "come in" is heard. The door slowly opens revealing a very tired looking Kakashi. His too small hand suddenly feels very large and when he looks towards his right, he's suddenly the same height as Itachi who simply says to the Hokage, "Here he is." The door then bursts open, Naruto claps him on the back, "There you are!" He says. Next, Sakura walks in and places a kiss on his cheek, "We've been looking everywhere for you." Sasuke hears movement behind him and when he turns around, Itachi slightly bends and taps him on his now adolescent forehead and without another word he makes his way out of the Hokage office. He feels Sakura and Naruto's hands intertwine with his and for once, Sasuke does not feel the urge to run after his brother.

The dark haired shinobi startles awake as he looks down towards his shaking palms. They feel warm as if he'd truly had their hands in his. Tired eyes shift towards the crumpled letter on the floor, sighing before he makes his way out of bed and walks towards it, picking it up and unfolding it.

_Bonds. Team Seven. Don't let go. Worked too hard. She misses you. _

He reads the words over and over again before he folds up the letter, neatly this time, and places it back into his pouch before he steps into the shower and heads out.

* * *

Sakura sighs as she leaves the hospital. Today had been a long day, but it was a welcome relief from all the missions she'd been doing as of late. There is a sort of push on her chest, an anticipation she isn't quite sure what to make of when she looks up at the night sky. Her tired body moves robotically towards her home, mind battling on whether or not she should finally pick up a pen and paper to write to Sasuke. When she enters her apartment and walks into the kitchen, she finds that her enigma is already there waiting for her as if she'd thought him up out of thin air. She doesn't waste any time, doesn't allow herself to second guess her actions before she drops her medic bag unceremoniously on the ground, making her way around her small kitchen Island, hands cupping his face gently. They stare at one another, onyx boring into viridian and in that moment time seems to stand still. His eyes shift to and fro as if he were searching for something. Sakura exhales slowly, blinking before her gaze shifts down to the necklace clipped on his cloak.

She feared that she had pushed him away, feared that he maybe hated her, but those fears of him hating her are quelled, however when she feels his strong arms wrap around her, crushing her body into his as he buried his face into her hair. Tears form at the corner of her eyes, she's missed him so much! She feels him pull away from her, breath catching in her throat when she sees the look in his eyes. His obsidian orbs bore straight into hers with a kind of longing that matches her own and its all it takes for her to throw caution to the wind as she stands on her tiptoes and presses her lips against his in a soft kiss, heart skipping a beat when he immediately responds as his bandaged hand cartels the back of her nape.

"Sasuke," she whispers in between kisses. He pulls away from her, breath coming out in short pants, "Why?"

"I'm sorry," he suddenly says.

The pinkette raises a hand, "No don't do that. I - I should stop fussing over you so much. You're more than capable of taking care of yourself, but when I saw you all battered, I lost it." Her gaze meets his, "I just wish I could protect you."

Slowly, Sasuke leans down and presses his lips against hers again, "I know." He touches his forehead with hers and the act is so incredibly sweet that she has to fight the tears that threaten to spill, "Thank you." He whispers before his fingers tap her seal gently.

Heart overflowing with joy and love, Sakura wraps her arms around his neck and brings him in for a deep kiss taking him completely by surprise. This man! Oh, this man would be the death of her but she didn't care. He was everything to her and nothing in the entire universe would ever be able to change that.

"I was so worried about you," she says.

Sasuke pulls away raising a questioning eyebrow. "A few weeks ago, I ran into a bounty hunter and from the way he spoke, it sounded like he was after you but - what happened?"

He sighs, "I lost control." He bows his head leaning it against her shoulder, dark bangs hiding his features almost ashamed. "I'm still no better than before."

Sakura frowns, delicate fingers pulling his head up to look at her, "Don't speak of yourself in such a manner." She pecks him softly on the lips, "We wouldn't be here now if you weren't a changed man."

Dark eyes look into emerald and his gaze softens, "It's because of you." When she only gives him a confused look, he smirks gently and takes in a deep breath, confessing, "Can't you see you're breaking me down?"

This sort of confession almost knocks her off her feet and it's all she needs before they're kissing each other again.

After a few more pecks she says, "I've missed you." His hold on her tightens in a silent response. _I've missed you too. _

"Remember when you first asked to come with me?" He asks.

Green eyes widen as her heart skips a beat. Unable to say anything she simply nods her head. "Ask me again."

Was he serious? He couldn't possibly mean ...? Was he implying that …

"Will you take me with you, Sasuke?" Sakura whispers.

The corner of his mouth lifts upwards, "Yes."

Sakura smiles, and it's the kind that he hasn't seen since they were children. She hugs him tight, his own arms encircling her as he buries his face into her hair. In this moment right now, he felt at peace, felt a little more whole and it scares him just a bit to finally recognize how much he truly cares for this woman. He pulls away from her then and kisses her softly for what seemed to be the hundredth time that evening and she responds immediately.

Their lip lock is gentle at first until the air around them changes as petite hands grab a fistful of his dark locks and pulls making him groan. Pulling away, the rosette settles her nerves, taking his hand she guides him towards her living room. There's a push against Sasuke's chest, his calves hitting her sofa as she pushes him down. He looks up at her, heart beating frantically when he looks into her eyes glazed over by want. Swallowing slowly, body craving for her to be near him, his hand reaches out for her own, guiding her towards him as she settles between his slacked legs. Her soft hands brush his bangs away from his face, revealing his Rinnegan. She thumbs the tops of his cheekbones gently before bending forward, pressing her lips against his. He lets out a breath he hasn't realized he was holding before he places a strong hand on her hip, bringing her forward, eliciting a small yelp from her making him smirk. She straddles him then, the weight of her on him nearly makes him moan. Her lips kiss his jawline, down his neck, stopping at his pulse point before nipping it causing a bruise. Sasuke hisses through clenched teeth, all these sensations were new for him, in the sense that he's never had anyone make him feel this way. He was human after all so of course he's felt lust before, and there were a few nights where he's had to take care of it himself, never truly being able to slack his lust with just any woman.

But this was Sakura and this moment right now couldn't feel more right. If he was going to be intimate with anyone, it would be with her.

Gently taking his face in between her hands she whispers, "Let me love you."

He knows exactly what she means, any man would be an idiot not to catch the under meaning. Sasuke swallows slowly before nodding, his shaking hands find their way to the front of her vest, _red suits you_, he thinks to himself as he slowly pulls down the zipper, the anticipation building, sliding it off of her in the next breath leaving her in just her bra. He studies her, then, taking note of her peachy skin littered with scars and he's never found her more beautiful, has never felt more proud of her. He briefly remembers the day they sparred, he of course had taken notice of her incredibly toned body with curves in all the right places, neck burning when he zeroed in on the deep cuts of her hips. Dark eyes roam her figure freely; she turned out to be an exceptional kunoichi and there's a small part of him that thinks that leaving her was for the best because she turned out to be an incredible woman full of power. He thinks about the destruction that her gentle hands could inflict, making his heart race with adrenaline, it seemed he would always lust for power one way or another.

His calloused fingers glide up and down her spine making the pinkette shiver before his dominant hand works on getting rid of her bra, discarding it a moment later. The cold air hits her soft nipples, turning them erect. Desire zips through his system and curiosity leads him to place his mouth on her breast, sucking gently, making her moan. Impatience gets the better of her however when she all but rips open his navy shirt, green manicured fingernails scraping down his toned abs in a haze of pleasure. Sakura couldn't think, nerves going haywire, instinct is the only thing that guides her - that and the many fantasies she's had about this man as far back as she could remember, but she could tell that he was holding back and If she wanted this, she'd have to be brave.

They mutually meet for a sweet kiss, nimble fingers massaging his scalp, teeth grazing his bottom lip as a distraction before her cunning fingers find their way to his pants, unbuttoning them slowly.

Sakura gets off her soon to be lover, viridian never breaking away from onyx as she slowly pulls off the rest of her clothing; slowly, tortuously, smirking coyly when she notices his fingers twitch with anticipation. His gaze roams her figure hungrily, her thighs rubbing together desperate for friction. She stalks towards him again, dropping to her knees before him, trembling hands making their way to the front of his pants freeing him. Sasuke hisses, whispering her name, canines biting the corner of his lip. Seeing him this way, completely unguarded and totally under her mercy sent a boost of confidence through her, heart palpitating as her fist wraps around his length, carefully squeezing and pumping, building up a moderate rhythm.

"…ah," he groans.

Sakura couldn't keep her eyes off him as her free hand slides up his thigh sensually, expert fingers gliding across his perfectly toned abs, massaging as she feels his stomach contract.

Bandaged fingers wrap around her wrist tugging gently to get her attention. He looks at her with such intensity that it nearly takes her breath away. Sasuke pulls her up, easily settling her onto his lap, making her moan when she feels his hardness in between her legs. He kisses her hungrily, tongues fighting with one another for dominance. His teeth nip their way along Sakura's jaw, down her neck reciprocating her gift to him earlier before enclosing his mouth against her breasts again.

"_Sasuke_ …"

He hums in reply. "Please," she whispers. She couldn't take anymore stimulation, the ache to be filled was too great.

Sasuke looks at her then, gaze all smoke, but the pinkette could see that beyond his lust and desire there were traces of a sort of tenderness that he's never showed to anyone else with just a dash of apprehension. His brows pinch together slightly as if contemplating if he deserved this, deserved all of her in every way.

Cupping his cheek she says, "I love you." Her gaze softens, "I always will."

He gently places his forehead against hers, sighing deeply before muttering a soft, "Thank you," his hands molding her hips.

The pinkette pecks him softly on the lips, hand sliding down their bodies, grabbing his length, guiding it to her sex causing a whimper to escape her when he pushes in slowly. She bites the inside of her cheek feeling him push in, inch by inch, fingernails pinching his skin when he's fully sheathed inside of her. _Oh god … _Emerald eyes close in rapture, stomach flipping at the way he filled her so completely. Living the life of a kunoichi had taken care of ridding her of her hymen what with all the times she's been beaten down in combat, so when she feels him completely sheathed within her, she lets out a long and deep moan.

Nether of them move; Sasuke tries his best to control his breathing but it's hard when he feels her velvet walls squeezing him in the most delicious way. "Are you alright?" He asks.

"Yes," she breathes, opening her eyes. "You feel amazing." Her lips brush his in a chaste kiss, love washing over her in tidal waves. She moves her hips experimentally making him break away with a hiss. Their rhythm is slow at first, awkward even as Sakura tries to find the right angle and momentum with every drop of her hips, pink brows furrowed in concentration.

Instinct guides Sasuke as he watches the pink haired woman bounce on his lap, his hands mold her hips more firmly, helping her to drop down on him harder making her moan. His gaze shifts to where they connect, _fuck..._, his own hips bulking up to match her rhythm. His bandaged hand cups the back of her nape bringing her down for a searing kiss, free hand squeezing her plump bottom encouragingly. Sakura moans and picks up speed, the sounds of their flesh slapping together makes her dizzy, runs her blood hot and she thinks that she could seriously get addicted to having sex with Sasuke.

Something like a half shout escapes him in the next breath when she slams herself particularly hard against him. "_Fuck_, Sakura...!"

Mewling she asks, "Feels good?"

He nods his head, words lost to him when he feels her walls tighten around him. "Slow down ..." His lover rolls her hips, "…shit I'm -"

Sakura leans forward, breasts pressing against his chest as she rides him faster, harder, belly coiling needing release. The dark haired man groans in approval meeting her halfway, fingers nearly bruising her skin. They meet for a mutual kiss, tongues fighting for dominance, her teeth catching his bottom lip biting seductively before she rips her mouth away from his and comes with loud cry of his name. Sasuke soon follows suit, her walls clenching around him sending him over the edge with her nearly seeing white.

They ride out the waves of their climaxes until the rosette slumps against him, sweating and panting trying to catch her breath. They stay this way for a while, still connected before she lifts herself and whispers,_ I love you_, pecking him softly before slowly pulling him out of her to sit beside him. Dark eyes study her, taking in her slicked skin, rosey cheeks and love ruffled hair, storing the image of her nakedness away in his memories. Warmth washes over him when she shimmies closer to him, his arm wrapping around her. There's a comfortable silence between them, delicate fingers tracing the word _mine_ across his skin. She looks up at him, taking in the way he looks in the afterglow, smiling when she sees his lip curve upward slightly.

"You can't get rid of me now you know," she says.

His arm tightens around her, "Ah." There's a pregnant pause before Sasuke asks hesitantly, "When do you want to leave...?"

Sakura shifts her gaze over to regard him, something akin to giddiness taking over her at his thoughtfulness. "Whenever you're ready," she replies, her pinky finger intertwining with his.

"In three days…" he mumbles.

She smiles, "in three days."

* * *

Sakura spends the next seventy-two hours with her loved ones. She dedicates the following morning to her parents, relief washing over her when they merely hug her and wish her a safe journey. She notices how Mebuki studies her closely and she tries her best to control her blush when her mother makes a comment about she and Sasuke being alone for an extended period of time. _If you only knew_ except that a mother knows her daughter so when they hug each other goodbye she nearly falls over when her mother whispers, "I hope you used protection."

Sakura all but runs to Tsunade's house afterwards, and finds welcomed relief with her mentor, until she also rubs it in her face. "I may not be a mother but I am a woman." The blonde haired woman clinks her sake cup against her mentees, "I am very happy for you."

Ino, Hinata, TenTen and Temari join them a couple of hours later and they all drink enough sake for at least thirty people, even Shizune joins in on the fun. They laugh and talk about their dreams, tease Temari about her relationship with Shikamaru and toast to the prosperity of Konoha. Sakura tries her best to detox herself before leaving Tsunade's house, but the alcohol lingers just enough to leave her tipsy. She walks home alone and when she gets to her apartment, she finds Sasuke still awake. She toes off her shoes rather clumsily and stumbles towards her dark haired companion, giggling when he meets her halfway and carries her bridal style towards her bedroom.

"You should've sent for me. I would've walked with you," Sasuke says while taking off her nin heels.

The pinkette pokes him playfully on the chest, "No one is going to mess with me." She comments proudly.

Sasuke doesn't doubt that, but he can't help but be protective over her. He puts a comforting hand on her shoulder signaling her to lay back and when she does he tucks her into the sheets. The action is so sweet that she can't help but smile and pat the empty space next to her prompting him to lay beside her. They stare at one another in the soft glow of her bedroom light, hands almost touching underneath the sheets. His bandaged hand tucks a stray of pink hair behind her ear, fingers lingering against her heart shaped face before pulling away and shyly intertwining their hands under the covers. They mutually fall asleep moments later and when Sasuke wake the next morning, he studies her peaceful expression and lays a ghost of a kiss against her fingers before going off to do his morning meditation.

The ex-avenger spends this day preparing for their leave, doing minor shopping for supplies. He walks to the Hokage tower afterwards and visits Kakashi. The Hokage asks him to check out a few disturbances in which he nods and packs away the mission scrolls into his bag. Sasuke doesn't stay long though because even though he built a relationship with Sakura and Naruto, it was Kakashi he still had difficulty speaking with because although he wouldn't say it out loud, Sasuke was still bitter about not listening to his sensei as a child.

He's just about to walk out the door when Kakashi says, "Take care of each other out there."

"...Hn."

The door closes with a soft click and Sasuke never sees his sensei's wide, watery smile.

That night Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura meet at Ichiraku for dinner. He doesn't say much, rather he just sits in their company and listens to them chatter about mundane things, storing this moment in time as a precious memory because he thinks that maybe, they could do this everyday sometime in the future when he finally lets go of the past. When they're done eating, they walk to the local store and buy beers which they drink on top of the Hokage mountain.

"I'll miss you guys," Naruto says.

Sakura places a comforting hand on her friend's, "We'll miss you too."

Sasuke snorts and takes a swig of his beer, prompting Naruto to yell at his best friend. "Oi! Don't be such a jerk teme!"

The medic nin clears her throat, clapping both her boys rather roughly on their backs before lifting her bottle up in the air for a toast. "To the future!" She exclaims.

Naruto clinks his bottle against her smiling wide, "To Team Seven!"

Two heartbeats pass before Sasuke too raises his beer bottle, his gaze shifting from his companions to their raised drinks, clinking his against theirs in silent agreement. _To the future ... _

It's the first time in a long time that he's wished for something so selfishly.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura leave at dawn and he's surprised to see Kakashi, Tsunade and Naruto at the village gates. Sakura of course is beyond thrilled to see them one last time as she hugs each of them before they step out of the village gates.

Honey eyes watch the duo closely as they just about make it to the road that leads out into the forest. Dark grey eyes study his students, noticing their body language. Their hands are just shy of touching, but when he sees Sakura link her pinky with Sasuke he smiles as does Naruto.

Neither of the three comment on their blossoming relationship, but deep down they know that they'll be alright.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Honestly, I lost my muse these past couple of months so this was worked on very slowly. I'm not too thrilled about the flow of this chapter, maybe I'll come back and edit it a bit, but I wanted to get _something_ out at least. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and please let me know your thoughts, it'll help my creative process. I hope I find a new muse soon ...

P.S. Am I the only one excited to see _Sasuke Shinden _animated in this weeks Shippuden episode?!


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